Oral Contraceptives and User Satisfaction in Kanchanaburi, Thailand

This study aims to identify the factors that affect women who use public and private oral contraceptive services. It also aims to assess user satisfaction among pill users, particularly those who are covered by the 30-Baht card of the Universal Coverage Scheme. 1,234 women of reproductive age from the Kanchanaburi DSS (Round 5, 2004) were studied by using logistic regression to determine factors affecting the selection of family planning providers. More than half of the pill users used private family planning services. These users tended to be have a higher wealth index, live in urban areas, work in the business sector, and have at least a lower secondary education. Choice of the family planning service provider was influenced mostly by the price of the pill, followed by the number of drugstores in the community. Almost all users were satisfied with the family planning services they chose, whether these were public or private. Of the 121 pill users who were covered by the 30-Baht card of the Universal Coverage Scheme in the public sector, most were satisfied with the quality of medicine as well as the services they received from health providers. (Please Purchase For Further Reading)Oral Contraceptives, user satisfaction/family planning, Thailand

Labor force participation in later life: Evidence from a cross-sectional study in Thailand

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The labor force participation rate is an important indicator of the state of the labor market and a major input into the economy's potential for creating goods and services. The objectives of this paper are to examine the prevalence of labor force participation among older people in Thailand and to investigate the factors affecting this participation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The data for this study were drawn from the '2007 Survey of Older Persons' in Thailand. Bivariate analysis was used to identify the factors associated with labor force participation. The variables were further examined using multivariate analysis in order to identify the significant predictors of the likelihood of older people participating in the labor force, after controlling for other variables.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, 30,427 elderly people aged 60 or above were interviewed. More than a third (35%) of all respondents had participated in the labor force during the seven days preceding the survey. Respondents who were female (OR = 0.56), those who were older (OR = 0.47 for 70-79 and 0.21 for 80+ years), those who were widowed/divorced (OR = 0.85), those who were living with their children (OR = 0.69), those whose family income was relatively low, and those who worked in government sectors (OR = 0.33) were less likely to participate in the labor force than were their counterparts. On the other hand, those who lived in urban areas (OR = 1.2), those who had a low level of education (OR, secondary level 1.8, primary 2.4, and no schooling 2.5), those who were the head of the household (OR = 1.9), and those who were in debt (OR = 2.3) were more likely be involved in the labor force than their comparison groups. Furthermore, respondents who experienced greater difficulty in daily living, those who suffered from more chronic diseases, and those who assessed their health as poor were less likely to participate in the labor force than their counterparts.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Labor force participation in their advanced years is not uncommon among the Thai elderly. The results suggest that improving the health status of the elderly is necessary in order to encourage their employment. By doing so, the country can fulfill the labor shortage and further improve the economic condition of the nation. The results of this study also suggest that for policies encouraging employment among older persons to succeed, special focus on the rural elderly is necessary.</p

Correlates of unintended pregnancy among currently pregnant married women in Nepal

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Women living in every country, irrespective of its development status, have been facing the problem of unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancy is an important public health issue in both developing and developed countries because of its negative association with the social and health outcomes for both mothers and children. This study aims to determine the prevalence and the factors influencing unintended pregnancy among currently pregnant married women in Nepal.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This paper reports on data drawn from Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) which is a nationally representative survey. The analysis is restricted to currently pregnant married women at the time of survey. Association between unintended pregnancy and the explanatory variables was assessed in bivariate analysis using Chi-square tests. Logistic regression was used to assess the net effect of several independent variables on unintended pregnancy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>More than two-fifth of the currently pregnant women (41%) reported that their current pregnancy was unintended. The results indicate that age of women, age at first marriage, ideal number of children, religion, exposure to radio and knowledge of family planning methods were key predictors of unintended pregnancy. Experience of unintended pregnancy augments with women's age (odds ratio, 1.11). Similarly, increase in the women's age at first marriage reduces the likelihood of unintended pregnancy (odds ratio, 0.93). Those who were exposed to the radio were less likely (odds ratio, 0.63) to have unintended pregnancy compared to those who were not. Furthermore, those women who had higher level of knowledge about family planning methods were less likely to experience unintended pregnancy (odds ratio, 0.60) compared to those having lower level of knowledge.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>One of the important factors contributing to high level of maternal and infant mortality is unintended pregnancy. Programs should aim to reduce unintended pregnancy by focusing on all these identified factors so that infant and maternal mortality and morbidity as well as the need for abortion are decreased and the overall well-being of the family is maintained and enhanced.</p

Self-assessed health among Thai elderly

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The ageing of the population is rapidly progressing in Thailand. Self-assessed health status can provide a holistic view of the health of the elderly. This study aims to identify the determinants of self-assessed health among older Thai people.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The data for this study were drawn from a national survey of older persons conducted in 2007. Stratified two-stage random sampling was used for data collection. The analysis was restricted to the population aged 60 and above. The study used univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis procedures to analyze the data. Bivariate analysis was used to identify the factors associated with self assessment of health status. After controlling for other variables, the variables were further examined using multivariate analysis (binary logistic regression) in order to identify the significant predictors of the likelihood of reporting poor health.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall, 30,427 elderly people were interviewed in this study. More than half of the sampled respondents (53%) were aged 60-69 years and about one out of seven (13%) were aged 80 years or above. About three in five respondents (56%) reported that their health was either fair or very bad/bad. Logistic regression analysis found that age, education, marital status, working status, income, functional status, number of chronic diseases, and number of psychosocial symptoms are significant predictors in determining health status. Respondents who faced more difficulty in daily life were more likely to rate their health as poor compared to those who faced less such difficulty. For instance, respondents who could not perform 3 or more activities of daily living (ADLs) were 3.3 times more likely to assess their health as poor compared to those who could perform all the ADLs. Similarly, respondents who had 1, 2, or 3 or more chronic diseases were 1.8 times, 2.4 times, and 3.7 times, respectively, more likely to report their health as poor compared to those who had no chronic disease at all. Moreover, respondents who had 1-2, 3-4, or 5 or more psychosocial symptoms in the previous months were 1.6 times, 2.2 times, and 2.7 times, respectively, more likely to report poor health compared to those who did not have any psychosocial symptoms during the same period.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Self-assessed poor health is not uncommon among older people in Thailand. No single factor accounts for the self-assessed poor health. The study has found that chronic disease, functional status, and psychosocial symptoms are the strongest determinants of self-assessed poor health of elderly people living in Thailand. Therefore, health-related programs should focus on all the factors identified in this paper to improve the overall well-being of the ageing population of Thailand.</p

Gender differences in health expectancies across the disablement process among older Thais.

To estimate health expectancies based on measures that more fully cover the stages in the disablement process for the older Thais and examine gender differences in these health expectancies.Health expectancies by genders using Sullivan's method were computed from the fourth Thai National Health Examination Survey conducted in 2009. A total of 9,210 participants aged 60 years and older were included in the analysis. Health measures included chronic diseases; cognitive impairment; depression; disability in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL); and disability in activities of daily living (ADL).The average number of years lived with and without morbidity and disability as measured by multiple dimensions of health varied and gender differences were not consistent across measures. At age 60, males could expect to live the most years on average free of depression (18.6 years) and ADL disability (18.6 years) and the least years free of chronic diseases (9.1 years). Females, on the contrary, could expect to live the most years free of ADL disability (21.7 years) and the least years free of IADL disability (8.1 years), and they consistently spent more years with all forms of morbidity and disability. Finally, and for both genders, years lived with cognitive impairment, depression and ADL disability were almost constant with increasing age.This study adds knowledge of gender differences in healthy life expectancy in the older Thai population using a wider spectrum of health which provides useful information to diverse policy audiences

Regional and Gender Differences in Years with and without Mobility Limitation in the Older Population of Thailand.

OBJECTIVES:To examine gender and regional differences in health expectancies based on the measure of mobility. METHODS:Health expectancies by gender and region were computed by Sullivan's method from the fourth Thai National Health Examination Survey (2009). A total of 9,210 older persons aged 60 years and older were included. Mobility limitation was defined as self-reporting of ability to perform only with assistances/aids at least one of: walking at least 400 metres; or going up or down a flight of 10 stairs. Severe limitation was defined as complete inability to do at least one of these two functions, even with assistances or aids. RESULTS:At age 60, females compared to males, spent significantly fewer years without mobility limitation (male-female = 3.2 years) and more years with any limitation (female-male = 6.7 years) and with severe limitation (female-male = 3.2 years). For both genders, years lived with severe limitation were remarkably constant across age. Significant regional inequalities in years lived without and with limitation were evident, with a consistent pattern by gender in years free of mobility limitation (Central ranked the best and the North East ranked the worst). Finally, both males and females in the South had the longest life expectancy and the most years of life with severe mobility limitation. CONCLUSION:This study identifies inequalities in years without and with mobility limitations with important policy implication

Prevalence^a (in percent) of morbidity and disability by age and genders in Thailand, 2009 (95% CIs in parentheses).

<p>^aWith sampling weighted</p><p>*Significantly higher than the other gender (two-proportion z-test, p<0.05)</p><p>Source: Author’s computations from the NHES IV.</p><p>Prevalence<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0121310#t002fn001" target="_blank">^a</a> (in percent) of morbidity and disability by age and genders in Thailand, 2009 (95% CIs in parentheses).</p

Total life expectancy and number of years lived free of morbidity and disability at age 60, 70, and 80 by genders in Thailand, 2009.

<p>*Significantly higher than the other gender at 95% confidence intervals.</p><p>Total life expectancy and number of years lived free of morbidity and disability at age 60, 70, and 80 by genders in Thailand, 2009.</p