Research from Gunma University Reveals New Findings on Public Health (Determinant factors behind changes in health-seeking behaviour before and after implementation of universal health coverage in Indonesia): Health and Medicine – Public Health

2022 MAY 27 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New study results on public health have been published. According to news reporting from Gunma University by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “The health insurance system in Indonesia was transformed in 2014 to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). The effective implementation of essential primary health services through UHC has resulted in efficient healthcare utilisation, which is reflected in the health-seeking behaviour of the community.”

Our news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Gunma University: “Our study aimed to examine the changes in health-seeking behaviour before and after the implementation of UHC in Indonesia and to identify what factors determine these changes. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the recall method and data collected through questionnaire-based interviews in Bandung, Indonesia. We used a two-step sampling technique-randomised sampling and purposive sampling, and a total of 579 respondents with acute or chronic episodes were recruited. $${\chi }^{2}$$ ch 2 tests were used to identify the association between factors. Difference in difference model and a logistic regression model for binary outcomes were used to estimate the effect of the implementation of UHC on the health-seeking behaviour. Utilisation of public health facilities increased significantly after implementation of UHC, from 34.9% to 65.4% among the respondents with acute episodes and 33.7% to 65.8% among those with chronic episodes. The odds of respondents going to health facilities when they developed an acute episode increased after the implementation of UHC (OR = 1.22, p = 0.05; AOR = 1.42, p < 0.001). For respondents experiencing chronic episodes, the implementation of UHC increased the odds ratio (OR = 1.74, p < 0.001; AOR = 1.64, p < 0.001) that they would use health facilities. Five years after the implementation of UHC, we still found respondents who did not have health insurance (26 and 19 respondents among those with acute episode and chronic episode, respectively).”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “The effect of the implementation of UHC seemed greater for those experiencing chronic episodes than for those with an acute episode. Although the implementation of UHC has improved utilisation of public health facilities, the presence of people who are not covered by health insurance is a potential problem that could threaten future improvements in healthcare access and utilisation.”

For more information on this research see: Determinant factors behind changes in health-seeking behaviour before and after implementation of universal health coverage in Indonesia. BMC Public Health, 2022,22(1):1-21. (BMC Public Health - http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com). The publisher for BMC Public Health is BMC.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13142-8.

Our news journalists report that more information may be obtained by contacting Dadan Mulyana Kosasih, Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University. Additional authors for this research include Sony Adam, Mitsuo Uchida, Chiho Yamazaki, Hiroshi Koyama, Kei Hamazaki.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)