Equity and elderly health in India: reflections from 75th round National Sample Survey, 2017-18, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

Morbidity, Treatment-Seeking Behaviour, and Out-of-Pocket Expenditures Among the Tribal Geriatric Population: A Cross-Sectional Study From a South Indian District

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of the study are (i) to examine morbidity patterns, (ii) to explore the treatment-seeking behaviours, and (iii) to analyse the out-of-pocket expenditures (OOPEs) among Indigenous (referred to as tribal in India) elderly in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh, India.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of 2,103 households was carried out. Data related to socio-demographic, health, and healthcare-seeking behaviours were collected for all the household members. There were 598 people aged 60 years and above in these households. Data on these 598 elderly people were analysed for the present study.

RESULTS

The findings highlight the socioeconomic hardships of the tribal elderly, including reliance on labour-intensive work, low educational attainment, and high rates of widowhood. Data on the illnesses experienced in the past year revealed that 277 (46.3%) of the elderly experienced acute illnesses. Chronic conditions were present in 224 (37.5%) while 115 (19.2%) had musculoskeletal pain and 75 (12.5%) had hypertension. Multimorbidity was present in 29 (4.5%) of the elderly. A total of 226 (81.6%) sought care from government facilities for acute illnesses. For chronic illnesses, while 109 (48.7%) did not seek treatment, 88 (39.3%) relied on government healthcare facilities. Regarding hospitalisation, 12 (70.6%) were admitted in government facilities and five (29.4%) were admitted in private hospitals. The OOPEs were high when they sought care from private healthcare facilities. For acute illnesses, while the average (5% trimmed mean) OOPE was Indian rupee (INR) 254 when seeking care from government healthcare facilities, it was INR 4301 when seeking care from private facilities. For chronic illnesses, the expenditure for private healthcare (5% trimmed mean = INR 3403) was higher than when seeking care from government healthcare facilities (5% trimmed mean = INR 262). The average (5% trimmed mean) for hospitalisation was INR 6414 when admitted to government hospitals, and it was INR 46063 for private hospital admissions.

CONCLUSIONS

The illness burden is high among the tribal elderly. The OOPEs were high, particularly when seeking care from private healthcare facilities. The study emphasises the need to strengthen government healthcare services, particularly through health and wellness centres under India's Ayushman Bharat programme. Access to government social support schemes such as old age pensions and health insurance should be improved. Health education and community partnerships are to be strengthened. Addressing these gaps is vital to alleviating health disparities among the tribal elderly and securing their access to India's universal health coverage framework.

Healthcare inequity arising from unequal response to need in the older (45+ years) population of India: Analysis of nationally representative data

Given the large and growing number of older (45+ years) people in India, inequitable access to healthcare in this population would slow global progress toward universal health coverage. We used a 2017-18 nationally representative sample of this population (n = 53,687) to estimate healthcare inequality and inequity by economic status. We used an extensive battery of indicators in nine health domains, plus age and sex, to adjust for need. We measured economic status by monthly per capita consumption expenditure and used a concentration index to measure inequalities in probabilities of any doctor visit and any hospitalisation within 12 months. We decomposed inequality with a regression method that allowed for economic and urban/rural heterogeneity in partial associations between healthcare and both need and non-need covariates. We used the associations achieved by the richest fifth of urban dwellers to predict a need-justified distribution of healthcare and compared the actual distribution with that benchmark to identify inequity. We found pro-rich inequalities in doctor visits and hospitalisations, which were driven by use of private healthcare. Adjustment for the greater need of poorer individuals revealed pro-rich inequity that exceeded inequality by about 65% and 39% for doctor visits and hospitalisations, respectively. These adjustments would have been substantially smaller, and inequity underestimated, without allowing for use-need heterogeneity, which accounted for 11% of the inequity in doctor visits and was 373% of inequity in hospitalisations. Targeting service coverage on poorer and rural groups, and increasing their access to private providers, would both reduce inequity and raise average coverage in the older population of India.

Age- and sex-disaggregated disease burden among the older persons in India

BACKGROUND

In the context of the increasing number and proportion of population aged 60 years or more in India, it is imperative to understand their health needs for ensuring healthy ageing.

METHODS

Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we identified the top ten causes of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years of life lost (YLLs), and years lived with disability (YLDs) disaggregated by sex and age groups (60-64 years, 65-69 years, 70-74 years, 75-79 years, and ≥ 80 years) for India in 2019. We analysed the proportional contribution of individual causes to the total DALYs due to communicable diseases (CMNNDs), non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and injuries disaggregated by age and sex. We report the state-level heterogeneity in the crude DALY rate for CMNNDs, NCDs, and injuries for older persons disaggregated by sex. Additionally, we reviewed if the data capture of service delivery indicators on older persons were age- and sex-disaggregated in the Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs), and in the National Programs aimed at the Health Care for the Elderly (NPHCE), Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI), Prevention & Control of Deafness (NPPCD), the Mental Health Program (NMPH), and the AYUSH Musculoskeletal Disorders Program (MSDP) within the context of disease burden.

RESULTS

The older persons accounted for a total of 136.1 million DALYs (29.1% of the total DALYs) in 2019 of which 77.9% were from NCDs, 14.8% from CMNNDs, and 7.3% from injuries, and nearly two-thirds of DALYs were accounted by YLLs. In NCDs, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, neoplasms, diabetes and kidney diseases, and musculoskeletal disorders accounted for nearly 80% of DALYs for both sexes. There were variations in the magnitude of disease burden by specific diseases and conditions between females and males, and by age groups within both sexes particularly for injuries and CMNNDs. Injuries accounted for more YLDs than YLLs, ranging between 5.9%-15.2% for females and 15.3%-17.3% for males, with the females having a higher contribution to total injury related DALYs due to falls as compared to the males (54.4% vs 36.6%), whereas the males had a higher contribution to total DALYs due to road injuries (33.8% vs 19.4%). There was substantial variation in the crude DALY rates of major disease groups by the two sexes across the states of India in 2019. The crude DALY rate for CMNNDs varied between 3.6 times -3.7 times between the states for females and males, respectively; NCDs varied between 1.3 times -1.9 times, and injuries varied 2.0 times -1.7 times. The capture of service utilisation indicators was not age- or sex-disaggregated in NPHCE, NPCBVI, NMHP, MSDP, and HWCs; sex-disaggregation was available in NP-NCD but not age-disaggregation; sex-disaggregated data was available for many service indicators in NPPCD but with no age disaggregation beyond 50 years and more. Only NP-NCD and NPPCD allowed for data capture by disease/condition or severity of disease/condition for the older persons whereas the other programs including NPHCE did not allow for much disaggregated understanding by the type of services availed.

CONCLUSIONS

This comprehensive assessment of the differentials in disease burden among older persons across age, sex and states of India, and the gaps identified in the service utilisation data capture by age and sex for the older persons in the national health programs can provide crucial inputs for strengthening the on-going public health policy and programmatic efforts aimed at improving the health and well-being of the growing older population in India.

Development and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Tamil Version of the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SSQoL) and Assessment of its Reliability and Validity

BACKGROUND

In this current modern industrial world, strokes are the major reason for causing disability and death in the adult population. In spite of the various tools available to measure the physical, psychological, and social impact of strokes, the appropriate method in various languages around the world is not available. In that sense adapting the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SSQoL) in different languages and cultures is essential to ensure their validity and efficacy across diverse populations.

AIM

This study aims to translate the original SSQoL English version into the Tamil language and assess the scale's reliability and validity among Tamil-speaking subjects with chronic stroke survivors.

METHODS

A methodological framework was applied to translate and culturally adapt SSQoL, involving forward and backward translation, committee review, and testing. A total of 220 participants were recruited to assess demographic characteristics, validity, and reliability of the Tamil-translated SSQoL-T using measures such as internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity.

RESULTS

The content validity analysis of the translated Tamil version of SSQoL-T showed strong positive outputs for both total score and sub-score assessments. In test-retest reliability analysis, good reliability with Cronbach's alpha (≥0.9) was observed for both total score and sub-score assessments.  Conclusion: This study's findings underscore the content validity and good reliability of SSQoL-T as a screening tool for assessing stroke among Tamil-speaking populations, providing valuable insights for clinicians and researchers in the assessment and management of strokes.

Kerala's progress towards universal health coverage: the road travelled and beyond

BACKGROUND

Kerala has initiated many Universal Health Coverage (UHC) reforms in the last decade. The Aardram Mission launched in 2017 stands out owing to its scope, objectives, and commitments for strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC) in the State. The current study proposes to explore access and financial protection through the lens of equity in Kerala especially in the context of major UHC reforms carried out during the last decade. This paper will also highlight the key lessons from Kerala's approach towards UHC and health systems strengthening through a political economy approach.

METHODS

Data from the Kerala state sample of 75th Round (2017-18) National Sample Survey is used for this study. Comparison is also drawn from the 71st Round Sample Survey, 2014, to measure the state's progress in terms of access and financial protection. Logistic regression was used for the calculation. The findings were further explored through a political economy approach.

RESULTS

The share of public facilities for outpatient care is 47.5%, which is a significant increase from 34.0% (in 2014) in the state. The share of public sector for out-patient care has increased for the lower socio-economic population in the state. The share of public sector for in-patient care has also increased to 37.3% in 2017-18 from 33.9% in 2014, but not to the extent as the increase shown in outpatient care. The average out-of-pocket-expenditure during hospitalization has increased more in private facilities as compared to public for both outpatient care and hospitalization.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall increase in the share of public facilities for both outpatient care and hospitalization is indicative of the enhanced trust among the people at large of the public healthcare delivery system in Kerala, post the launch of UHC reforms in the State. The insurance linked UHC reforms would be insufficient for the State to progress further towards UHC. Kerala with a long and successful history in 'public provisioning' should focus more on strengthening PHC through Aardram Mission in its journey towards pursuit of UHC.

Cost of acute respiratory illness episode and its determinants among community-dwelling older adults: a four-site cohort study from India

Introduction

Advocacy for the provision of public health resources, including vaccine for the prevention of acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs) among older adults in India, needs evidence on costs and benefits. Using a cohort of community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older in India, we estimated the cost of ARI episode and its determinants.

Methods

We enrolled 6016 participants in Ballabgarh, Chennai, Kolkata and Pune from July 2018 to March 2020. They were followed up weekly to identify ARI and classified them as acute upper respiratory illness (AURI) or pneumonia based on clinical features based on British Thoracic Society guidelines. All pneumonia and 20% of AURI cases were asked about the cost incurred on medical consultation, investigation, medications, transportation, food and lodging. The cost of services at public facilities was supplemented by WHO-Choosing Interventions that are Cost-Effective(CHOICE) estimates for 2019. Indirect costs incurred by the affected participant and their caregivers were estimated using human capital approach. We used generalised linear model with log link and gamma family to identify the average marginal effect of key determinants of the total cost of ARI.

Results

We included 2648 AURI and 1081 pneumonia episodes. Only 47% (range 36%-60%) of the participants with pneumonia sought care. The mean cost of AURI episode was US$13.9, while that of pneumonia episode was US$25.6, with indirect costs comprising three-fourths of the total. The cost was higher among older men by US$3.4 (95% CI: 1.4 to 5.3), those with comorbidities by US$4.3 (95% CI: 2.8 to 5.7) and those who sought care by US$17.2 (95% CI: 15.1 to 19.2) but not by influenza status. The mean per capita annual cost of respiratory illness was US$29.5.

Conclusion

Given the high community disease and cost burden of ARI, intensifying public health interventions to prevent and mitigate ARI among this fast-growing older adult population in India is warranted.

Progress towards universal health coverage in the context of mental disorders in India: evidence from national sample survey data

BACKGROUND

Universal health coverage (UHC) has emerged as one of the important health policy discourses under the current sustainable development goals in the world. UHC in individual disease conditions is a must for attaining overall UHC. This study measures progress towards UHC in terms of access to health care and financial protection among individuals with mental disorders in India.

METHODS

Data from the 75th Round National Sample Survey (NSS), 2017-18, was used, which is the latest round on health in India. Data collected from 555,115 individuals (rural: 325,232; urban: 229,232), from randomly selected 8077 villages and 6181 urban areas, included 283 outpatient and 374 hospitalization cases due to mental disorders in India. Logistic regression models were used for analyses.

RESULTS

Self-reporting of mental disorders was considerably lower than the actual disease burden in India. However, self-reporting of ailment was 1.73 times higher (95% CI: 1.18-2.52, p < 0.05) among the richest income group population compared to the poorest in India. The private sector was a major service provider of mental health services with a larger share for outpatient (66.1%) than inpatient care (59.2%). Over 63% of individuals with a mental disorder who reported private sector hospitalization noted unavailability or poor service quality at public facilities. Only 23% of individuals hospitalized had health insurance coverage at All India level. However, health insurance coverage among poorest economic class was a meagre 3.4%. Average out-of-pocket expenditure during hospitalization (public: 123 USD; private: 576 USD) and outpatient care (public: 8 USD; private: 37 USD) was significantly higher in the private sector than in the public sector. Chances of facing catastrophic health expenditure at 10% threshold were 23.33 times (95% CI: 10.85-50.17; p < 0.001) higher under private sector than public sector during hospitalization. Expenditure on medicine, as the share of total medical expenditure, was highest for hospitalization (public: 45%, private:39.5%) and outpatient care (public: 74.1%, private:39.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Social determinants play a vital role in access to healthcare and financial protection among individuals with mental disorders in India. For achieving UHC in mental disorders, India needs to address the gaps in access and financial protection for individuals with mental disorders.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Not applicable.

Health facility utilization and Healthcare-seeking behaviour of the elderly population in India

Background

The increasing elderly population in India has generated an unmet need for healthcare services concerning them. To address some of those needs, the study aims to provide the current status of health facility utilization, health-seeking behaviour (HSB), and factors influencing them.

Methodology

Data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI)-Wave I was used to conduct multivariate analysis to assess the association between health facility utilization (inpatient and outpatient) and HSB across all age groups of the elderly.

Results

The likelihood of utilizing public health facilities increased with age for OPD and decreased with age for IPD. HSB was 23% less in the 80 years and above elderly as compared to other age groups. Healthcare service uptake was higher in the elderly with health insurance in a public health facility.

Conclusion

Improving health insurance coverage among the Indian elderly may potentially improve healthcare service uptake in public health facilities.

Unintentional domestic injuries among elderly in rural areas of Mandya: A community-based cross-sectional study in Southern Karnataka

Background

As the proportion of elderly in the population increases, they also become vulnerable to various types of intentional or unintentional injuries. Domestic accidents including falls among the elderly have been identified as a leading cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality in India and elsewhere.

Aim

This study aims to assess the burden and pattern of domestic accidents in a rural part of Southern India.

Methods and Setting

A community-based cross-sectional study among the elderly (≥60 years) was carried out in rural areas of Southern Karnataka. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to get the information on domestic accidents. Inferential statistical tests like the Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used.

Results

A total of 500 persons aged ≥60 years with a mean age of 69.09 ± 7.42 years (Range 60-92 years) were included. One-third of the subjects have had an incidence of domestic accidents in the past 1 year contributing to a 35% prevalence of domestic accidents. A higher prevalence of domestic accidents was seen in those subjects who were ill (47.9%). Overall prevalence of falls was 21.4% (P = 0.007). One-fifth of the subjects with domestic accidents had a residual illness.

Conclusion and Contribution

One-third of our subjects gave a history of one or the other form of domestic accidents in the previous 1 year. Our study highlights the problem of unintentional domestic injuries among the most vulnerable group of the elderly and calls for a continuous assessment of the burden and nature of injuries.

Utilization of health services among the elderly in Iran during the COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-sectional study

Background and Aims

Elderly people are potentially vulnerable with a higher need for health services, and utilization of Essential Public Health Services (EPHS) among this group is of high importance. This study aimed to examine the utilization of health services among the elderly in Iran during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 21 public health centers in Sirjan, Southern Iran, from May to December 2020. A total of 420 elderly patients were selected through a systematic random sampling method. Data were collected using a questionnaire and were analyzed using SPSS v22.0. The binary logistic regression was used to examine the effect of demographic, socioeconomic and morbidity status on inpatient and outpatient healthcare utilization.

Results

Our results showed that 56% of the elderly had a history of hospitalization during the last year. Although 60% of the elderly reported they had a perceived need for outpatient services, only 49% of them reported that they utilized outpatient services. 51% and 35.5% of the elderly reported that their inpatient and outpatient costs were covered by health insurance, respectively. Others reported their health spending was financed through out-of-pocket payments. Male gender aged 80 and above, urban residents, higher socioeconomic and supplemental insurance coverage were associated with an increase in health services utilization. The elderly with Cancer, mental disorders, kidney disease, and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) were more likely to be hospitalized.

Conclusion

There were demographic and socioeconomic inequalities in health services utilization among the elderly. Therefore, appropriate interventions and strategies are needed to reduce these inequalities in health services utilization among the elderly. In addition, given that the hospitalization rate was significantly higher among the elderly with chronic diseases than those without, it is crucial and necessary to take interventions to reduce the burden of chronic diseases in the future.

Access to Geriatric Disability Care in India: A Roadmap for Research

This paper presents an ontological review of the global research on access to geriatric disability care and a roadmap for future research to address the problem in India. First, the dominant research focus is on resources (human, financial, and spatial) that affect access to disability care; there is little focus on informational and technological resources. Second, functional disabilities are the dominant focus of the research, followed by cognitive, mental, and locomotor disabilities; there is little focus on speech, hearing, and visual disabilities. Third, barriers, inhibitors, and catalysts of physical access are the dominant focus, with relatively less focus on virtual access; there is very little emphasis on the drivers to access. Fourth, the primary, although not dominant, focus is on access for urban and rural populations; there is very little focus on access for underserved and indigenous populations. Future research must address these gaps systematically to improve access. This paper adds: (a) a systemic framework for the study of an important, complex, emerging problem; (b) a systematic review of the global research on the problem; and (c) a research roadmap to address the emerging problem in India.

Role of publicly funded health insurance in financial protection of the elderly from hospitalisation expenditure in India-findings from the longitudinal aging study

BACKGROUND

The elderly face a greater burden of illnesses than other age groups and have a more frequent need of healthcare, including in-patient hospitalisations. Catastrophic expenditure on hospitalisation of the elderly poses a significant challenge to India's aim of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). India has implemented a policy of Publicly Funded Health Insurance (PFHI) to provide free inpatient care by empanelling private and public hospitals. The existing studies have examined the performance of PFHI in financial protection of the elderly.

METHODS

This study utilised the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave 1, conducted in 2017-18. LASI is a large-scale nationally representative survey collecting data on elderly health including illness burden, healthcare use and out of pocket expenditure (OOPE). It covered a sample 72,250 individuals aged 45 or above. Financial Protection was measured in terms of Catastrophic Health Expenditure (CHE). Multivariate analysis was conducted to find effect of PFHI on OOPE-quantile and logistic models were applied for OOPE and CHE respectively. For robustness, Propensity Score Matching (PSM) model was applied.

RESULTS

Of the hospitalisations, 35% had taken place in public hospitals. The mean OOPE for a hospitalisation in public sector was Indian Rupees (INR) 8276, whereas it was INR 49,700 in private facilities. Incidence of CHE was several times greater for using private hospitals as compared to public hospitals. Multi-variate analyses showed that enrolment under PFHI was not associated with lower OOPE or CHE. PSM model also confirmed that PFHI-enrolment had no effect on OOPE or CHE. Use of private facilities was a key determinant of OOPE, irrespective of enrolment under PFHI.

CONCLUSIONS

This was the first study in India to examine the performance of PFHI in the context of catastrophic hospitalisation expenditure faced by the elderly. It found that PFHI was not effective in financial protection of the elderly. The ongoing reliance on a poorly regulated private sector seems to be a key limitation of PFHI policy. Governments need to find more effective ways of protecting the elderly from catastrophic health expenditure if the goal of UHC has to be realized.

Cost-Utility Analysis of Dabigatran and Warfarin for Stroke Prevention Among Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation in India

OBJECTIVES

Dabigatran has a better safety profile and requires less monitoring, but is costlier than warfarin. This study evaluated the cost-utility of dabigatran relative to warfarin for preventing stroke in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in India.

METHODS

A Markov decision analysis model was developed to compare dabigatran (110 or 150 mg twice a day) to warfarin titrated to target prothrombin time in patients with NVAF at high risk of stroke. Model utilities and transition probabilities were based on literature and costs on market prices. Data on out-of-pocket expenses and income lost were taken from a nationally representative survey. We adopted a societal perspective and discounted both costs and outcomes at 3%. Ischemic stroke, intracranial bleed, other major bleeds, and death were outcomes of NVAF. The model projected the costs, life-years, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for each intervention over a lifetime. We used gross domestic product per capita of India (US dollars [US$]1889) as the cost-effectiveness threshold. Sensitivity analyses were conducted.

RESULTS

Treatment with either dose of dabigatran was associated with gain in life-years and QALYs compared with warfarin. The discounted incremental cost-effectiveness ratios/QALYs for both doses of dabigatran (110 mg US$7519; 150 mg US$6634) were above the cost-effectiveness threshold, and the probability of being cost-effective at this threshold was low. Cost of dabigatran was an important factor in determining incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Price reduction of 150 mg dose by 49% will make it cost-effective.

CONCLUSIONS

Dabigatran is not cost-effective in the Indian societal context. Reducing the price of dabigatran 150 mg by half will make it cost-effective.

Difficulty and help with activities of daily living among older adults living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multi-country population-based study

Background

Older adults who live alone and have difficulties in activities of daily living (ADLs) may have been more vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about pandemic-related changes in ADL assistance (such as home care, domiciliary care) and its international variation. We examined international patterns and changes in provision of ADL assistance, and related these to country-level measures including national income and health service expenditure.

Methods

We analysed data covering 29 countries from three longitudinal cohort studies (Health and Retirement Study, English Longitudinal Study of Aging, and Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe). Eligible people were aged ≥50 years and living alone. Outcomes included ADL difficulty status (assessed via six basic ADLs and five instrumental ADLs) and receipt of ADL assistance. Wealth-related inequality and need-related inequity in ADL assistance were measured using Erreygers’ corrected concentration index (ECI). Correlations were estimated between prevalence/inequality/inequity in ADL assistance and national health-related indicators. We hypothesized these measures would be associated with health system factors such as affordability and availability of ADL assistance, as well as active ageing awareness.

Results

During COVID-19, 18.4% of older adults living alone reported ADL difficulties (ranging from 8.8% in Switzerland to 29.2% in the USA) and 56.8% of those reporting difficulties received ADL assistance (ranging from 38.7% in the UK to 79.8% in Lithuania). Females were more likely to receive ADL assistance than males in 16/29 countries; the sex gap increased further during the pandemic. Wealth-related ECIs indicated socioeconomic equality in ADL assistance within 24/39 countries before the pandemic, and significant favouring of the less wealthy in 18/29 countries during the pandemic. Needs-related ECIs indicated less equity in assistance with ADLs during the pandemic than before. Our hypotheses on the association between ADL provision measures and health system factors were confirmed before COVID-19, but unexpectedly disconfirmed during COVID-19.

Conclusion

This study revealed an unequal (and in some countries, partly needs-mismatched) response from countries to older adults living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings might inform future research about, and policies for, older adults living alone, particularly regarding social protection responses during crises.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-022-02799-w.

Factors influencing access and utilization of health services among older people during the COVID - 19 pandemic: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Access to healthcare and service utilization are both considered essential factors for improving the general health and wellbeing of older people, especially at the time of COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the study is to explore factors affecting healthcare access and health service utilization for older people during the pandemic.

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Embase were systematically searched for relevant articles. Access, utilization, health, elderly and COVID-19 were used as keywords in the search strategy. A total of 4308 articles were identified through the initial database search; 50 articles were included in the review as passing the eligibility criteria. The searches were conducted up to August 2021. Data extraction was performed, and evidence was descriptively illustrated. Thematic analysis was used to explore factors influencing the elderly's access and utilization of healthcare services, using Max QDA10, a qualitative analysis software.

RESULTS

Among articles included in the review (n = 50), a majority of the studies were from the United States (36%), followed by India (8%). According to the main healthcare services, a large number of articles (18%) were related to mental health services, followed by digital health services (16%). Factors were identified at an individual, provider and systems level. Seven main themes emerged from the thematic analysis, as determinants of elderly's access and utilization of healthcare services during COVID-19 pandemic. These included: access to non-COVID related services, access to COVID-related services, literacy and education, accommodation challenges, perceived attitudes of aging, and policies and structures, and social determinants.

CONCLUSION

Mental health and digital health services were identified as major issues influencing or contributing to or influencing older people's health during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also argue on the importance of a rounded view, as attention to a range of factors is vital for policy decisions towards sustainable care and equitable interventions for improving the health of older people.

Determinants of rural-urban differential in healthcare utilization among the elderly population in India

BACKGROUND

Population aging poses a demographic burden on a country such as India with inadequate social security systems and very low public investment in health sector. This challenge of accelerated demographic transition is coupled by the rural-urban disparity in access to healthcare services among the elderly people in India. An important objective of India's National Health Policy (2017) is to "progressively achieve universal health coverage" which is posited upon mitigating the sub-national disparity that necessitates identifying the drivers of the disparity for targeted policy intervention. This study, therefore, makes an attempt towards the exploration of the prominent contributory factors behind the rural-urban gap in utilisation of healthcare among the older population in India.

METHODS

The analysis has been done by using the unit level data of Social Consumption: Health (Schedule number 25.0) of the 75th round of the National sample Survey conducted during July 2017-June 2018. Two binary logistic models have been proposed to capture the crude and the adjusted association between health seeking behaviour and place of residence (rural/ urban). To compute the group differences (between rural and urban) in the rate of healthcare utilization among the elderly population in India and to decompose these differences into the major contributing factors, Fairlie's decomposition method has been employed.

RESULTS

The logistic regression models established a strong association between place of residence and likelihood of healthcare utilisation among the Indian elderly people. The results of the Fairlie's decomposition analysis revealed considerable rural-urban inequality disfavouring the rural residents and health care utilisation was found to be 7 percentage points higher among the older population residing in urban India than their rural counterparts. Level of education and economic status, both of which are indicators of a person's Socio-Economic Status, were the two major determinants of the existing rural-urban differential in healthcare utilisation, together explaining 41% of the existing rural-urban differential.

CONCLUSION

Public health care provisions need to be strengthened both in terms of quality and outreach by way of greater public investments in the health sector and by building advanced health infrastructure in the rural areas. Implementation of poverty alleviation programmes and ensuring social-security of the elderly are also indispensable in bringing about equity in healthcare utilisation.