Factors Influencing Access to Health Services among Chronically Ill Older Adults with Physical Disabilities in the Era of the COVID-19 Outbreak

Sutham Nanthamongkolchai, Athicha Tojeen, Korravarn Yodmai and Wanich Suksatan ()
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Sutham Nanthamongkolchai: Department of Family Health, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Athicha Tojeen: Department of Family Health, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Korravarn Yodmai: Department of Family Health, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Wanich Suksatan: Faculty of Nursing, HRH Princess Chulabhorn College of Medical Science, Chulabhorn Royal Academy, Bangkok 10210, Thailand

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Chronically ill older adults with physical disabilities frequently face difficulties in their daily lives and require essential health service access, especially in the COVID-19 context. This study aimed to examine the association between social support, perception of benefits due to disability and access to health services among chronically ill older adults with physical disabilities during this crisis in Thailand. A total of 276 chronically ill older adults with physical disabilities were included in this cross-sectional study. Self-reported questionnaires were assessed through multi-stage random sampling. Correlations between the independent variables and health service access were examined using multiple regression analysis. Of the respondents, 159 were female (59.6%). Most participants perceived benefits (58.8%) and access to health services (56.2%) at good levels, while social support was at a moderate level (47.9%). Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that social support (β = 0.351), perception of benefits (β = 0.257) and age (β = 0.167) were positively correlated with health service access. The findings are relevant for health care providers and multi-professional teams, who should enhance older adults’ social support and perception of benefits to improve their access to health services, particularly among chronically ill older adults with physical disabilities, in the era of COVID-19.

Keywords: accessibility; COVID-19; health services; older adults; social support (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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