Households’ Direct Economic Burden Associated with Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases in Saudi Arabia

Ziyad S. Almalki (), Abdullah K. Alahmari, Nasser Alqahtani, Abdulaziz Ibrahim Alzarea, Ahmed M. Alshehri, Abdulrahman M. Alruwaybiah, Bader A. Alanazi, Abdulhadi M. Alqahtani and Nehad J. Ahmed
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Ziyad S. Almalki: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Riyadh 16278, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah K. Alahmari: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Riyadh 16278, Saudi Arabia
Nasser Alqahtani: Drug & Pharmaceutical Affairs, Riyadh First Health Cluster (C1) at Ministry of Health, Riyadh 12233, Saudi Arabia
Abdulaziz Ibrahim Alzarea: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed M. Alshehri: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Riyadh 16278, Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman M. Alruwaybiah: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Riyadh 16278, Saudi Arabia
Bader A. Alanazi: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Riyadh 16278, Saudi Arabia
Abdulhadi M. Alqahtani: Research Center, King Fahad Medical City, Clinical Research Department, Riyadh 12231, Saudi Arabia
Nehad J. Ahmed: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Riyadh 16278, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-14

Abstract: Households’ economic burden associated with chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a deterrent to healthcare access, adversely impacting patients’ health. Therefore, we investigated the extent of out-of-pocket (OOP) spending among individuals diagnosed with chronic NCDs among household members in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Face-to-face interviews were conducted among households in Riyadh Province from the beginning of January 2021 to the end of June 2021. The respondents were asked to record OOP spending throughout the past three months in their health. A generalized linear regression model was used to determine the effects of several factors on the level of OOP spending. A total of 39.6% of the households studied had at least one member with a chronic NCD. Diabetes patients spent an average of SAR 932 (USD 248), hypertension patients SAR 606 (USD 162), and hypothyroid patients SAR 402 (USD 107). It was shown that households with older and more educated members had greater OOP spending. Households with an employed head of household, more family members, higher SES status, health insurance coverage, and urban residency had significantly higher OOP expenditure. The burden of OOP spending for chronic NCD households remains high, with some disparities. The research offers important information for decision making to lower OOP cost among NCD households.

Keywords: NCDs; out-of-pocket; Saudi Arabia; healthcare burden (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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