Health status and health resource utilization among older people in rural mining area

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess health status and utilization of health resources among older people living in rural mining areas in Taiwan. Cross-sectional design was used to assess a sample of 82 participants aged 65 and over and data were collected by one-on-one interviews. Most of the participants lived alone (64.6%) and more than 70% had one or more chronic illnesses. The top three chronic illnesses were pneumoconiosis, hypertension, and cataract. Ninety percent of the elderly with chronic illness were treated with western medicine. Most of the participants had good functions in basic and instrumental activities of daily life, but the ability of making phone calls was slightly poor. The top health risk factors were smoking (25.6%), high blood pressure (25.6%), and high blood sugar (14.6%); 24.4% of the participants had cognitive impairment and 31.7 % were depressed. Over half of the participants (56.2%) depended on local public health center for their main medical resources. Majority of the participants attended Chinese medical mobile clinics hosted by volunteer groups. The results provided a baseline assessment data of the health status of older people living in the rural mining area and their utilization of health resources. This information can assist local health officials and community health nurses in developing better health policies and planning appropriate community health resources for the older people..