The economic burden of influenza-like illness among children, chronic disease patients and the elderly in China: a national cross-sectional survey

Abstract Background: The disease burden of seasonal influenza is substantial in China, while there is still a lack of nation-wide economic burden estimates. This study aims to examine influenza-like illness (ILI) prevalence, healthcare seeking behaviors, economic impact of ILI and its influencing factors among children, chronic disease patients and the elderly during the 2018–19 influenza season.Methods: From August to October 2019, 6668 children’s caregivers, 1735 chronic disease patients, and 3849 elderly people were recruited from ten provinces in China to participate in an on-site survey. The economic burden of ILI consisted of direct (medical or non-medical) and indirect burden, and multivariate linear regression was adopted to predict the influencing factors of total economic burden.Results: There were 45.73% children, 16.77% chronic disease patients and 12.70% elderly people reporting ILI, and most participants chose “Outpatient service only”, “Over-the-counter (OTC) medication only” or “Outpatient + OTC” after ILI. The average total economic burden of ILI was 1848 yuan (USD266.1) for children, 1105 yuan (USD159.1) for chronic disease patients and 2064 yuan (USD297.2) for the elderly. Multivariate linear regression showed that boys, the only child in family, and urban adult residents tended to have larger economic burden after ILI.Conclusions: Large economic burden of ILI was highlighted, especially among the elderly with less income and larger medical burden, as well as children with higher prevalence and higher self-payment ratio. It is important to adopt targeted interventions for high-risk groups, and this study can help national-level decision-making on the introduction of influenza vaccination as public health project.

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The Economic Burden of Influenza-Like Illness among Children, Chronic Disease Patients, and the Elderly in China: A National Cross-Sectional Survey

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18126277 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (12) ◽

pp. 6277

Author(s):

Xiaozhen Lai ◽

Hongguo Rong ◽

Xiaochen Ma ◽

Zhiyuan Hou ◽

Shunping Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Disease ◽

Elderly People ◽

Influencing Factors ◽

Economic Burden ◽

Household Income ◽

National Level ◽

The Elderly ◽

Influenza Like Illness ◽

Targeted Interventions ◽

Chronic Disease Patients

Background: The disease burden of seasonal influenza is substantial in China, while there is still a lack of nationwide economic burden estimates. This study aims to examine influenza-like illness (ILI) prevalence, healthcare-seeking behaviors, economic impact of ILI, and its influencing factors among three priority groups during the 2018–19 influenza season. Methods: From August to October 2019, 6668 children’s caregivers, 1735 chronic disease patients, and 3849 elderly people were recruited from 10 provinces in China to participate in an on-site survey. The economic burden of ILI consisted of direct (medical or non-medical) and indirect burdens, and a two-part model was adopted to predict the influencing factors of total economic burden. Results: There were 45.73% children, 16.77% chronic disease patients, and 12.70% elderly people reporting ILI, and most participants chose outpatient service or over-the-counter (OTC) medication after ILI. The average economic burden was CNY 1647 (USD 237.2) for children, CNY 951 (USD 136.9) for chronic disease patients, and CNY 1796 (USD 258.6) for the elderly. Two-part regression showed that age, gender, whether the only child in the family, region, and household income were important predictors of ILI economic burden among children, while age, region, place of residence, basic health insurance, and household income were significant predictors of ILI economic burden among chronic disease patients and the elderly. Conclusions: A large economic burden of ILI was highlighted, especially among the elderly with less income and larger medical burdens, as well as children, with higher prevalence and higher self-payment ratio. It is important to adopt targeted interventions for high-risk groups, and this study can help national-level decision-making on the introduction of influenza vaccination as a public health project.

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The economic burden of influenza-like illness among children, chronic disease patients and the elderly in China: a national cross-sectional survey

10.22541/au.159795449.93917566 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xiaozhen Lai ◽

Hongguo Rong ◽

Xiaochen Ma ◽

Hou Zhiyuan ◽

Shunping Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Disease ◽

Economic Burden ◽

The Elderly ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Influenza Like Illness ◽

Chronic Disease Patients

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Acceptance and Influencing Factors of Social Virtual Reality in the Urban Elderly

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12229345 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (22) ◽

pp. 9345 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dan Shao ◽

I-Jui Lee

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Medical Treatment ◽

Elderly People ◽

Influencing Factors ◽

Virtual Communities ◽

The Elderly ◽

Medical Needs ◽

Head Mounted Display ◽

The Social ◽

Perceived Enjoyment

In the stage of aging society and population aging, the social needs of the elderly are widely discussed by researchers. Especially driven by the demand of tele-medical treatment and tele-rehabilitation therapy, it is vital for the elderly to integrate into virtual communities by combining social virtual reality (VR) with different medical services and entertainment needs. In addition, affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, it is more difficult for people to have face-to-face contacts. With more remote consultation, entertainment and virtual social connectivity, the application of social VR is more urgent and valuable. However, there is little discussion on the acceptability and influencing factors of social VR among the elderly at present. Therefore, in order to get further data, we used (1) early stage semi-structured interviews and then (2) Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) questionnaires for investigation. One hundred fourteen elderly people aged 60–89 living in the metropolitan area of Taipei were taken as the subjects. To help them understand the situation and state of using social VR, these elderly people were asked to use a head-mounted display (HMD) to experience social VR games. The preliminary results showed that the elderly had obvious preference for entertainment (32.4%) and medical treatment (31.3%). The interview showed that this was related to the physiological condition or medical needs of the age range. In order to further understand how social VR would affect the social life of the elderly, we proposed the further demand structure of UTAUT Model based on the interview of both experts and the elderly. The model structures include (1) Performance Expectancy, (2) Perceived Enjoyment, (3) Social Influence, (4) User Attitude, (5) Behavioral Intention, and so on. These structures were applied to conduct interviews and questionnaires to find out the influence extent and relevance of the elderly on different structural needs, and suggestions were given accordingly. The results of the above interviews showed that (1) the elderly thought that the functions of entertaining and interacting of social VR could increase their social opportunities, and also meet medical needs (teleconference, cognitive decline, etc.), (2) the closeness of social relations (between family members, friends, doctors, and places), and also affect the relevance of Perceived Enjoyment (β = 0.77, p = 0.000 < 0.05). The results of these phenomena and interviews showed the interplay between the demand structures and their special relevance. They also indicated that as to social VR technologies, various demands and functional issues of the elderly need to be considered, and these demands would appear in the subtle usage, and different social VR interfaces and functions would emerge based on their special living ways and physical and psychological demands.

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Repercussões do adoecimento crônico na saúde mental de pessoas idosas

Revista de Enfermagem UFPE on line ◽

10.5205/1981-8963-v12i11a234540p2923-2932-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 2923 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Geisiane Oliveira Silva ◽

Luma Costa Pereira Peixoto ◽

Dieslley Amorim de Souza ◽

Alana Libânia de Souza Santos ◽

Aline Cristianede Souza Azevedo Aguiar

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Chronic Disease ◽

Chronic Diseases ◽

Elderly People ◽

Family Health ◽

The Elderly ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Analysis Technique ◽

Salud Mental ◽

The Moment

RESUMOObjetivo: compreender as concepções de pessoas idosas acerca das repercussões do adoecimento crônico na sua saúde mental. Método: trata-se de estudo qualitativo, descritivo, realizado com 13 pessoas idosas com diagnóstico de doenças crônicas cadastradas em uma Unidade de Saúde da Família. Coletaram-se as informações a partir da aplicação de um formulário de um roteiro de entrevista semiestruturada. Analisaram-se as entrevistas conforme a técnica de análise de conteúdo. Resultados: a partir da análise do conteúdo das descrições originárias das entrevistas, emergiram quatro categorias temáticas: << Sentimentos relacionados à doença crônica >>; << Mudanças nos hábitos de vida após a descoberta da doença crônica >>; << Dificuldade para aceitação da doença crônica >>; e << A busca pela espiritualidade para aceitação da doença crônica >>. Conclusão: percebeu-se, com o alcance do objetivo do estudo, a necessidade de qualificação dos profissionais atuantes da Atenção Básica para assistir o ser idoso, não apenas para a resolutividade de suas demandas no momento, mas também para saber ouvir e identificar as possíveis repercussões que esse adoecimento traz para a vida desses indivíduos e sua saúde mental. Descritores: Saúde Mental; Doença Crônica; Idoso; Envelhecimento; Sentimentos; Impacto Psicossocial.ABSTRACT Objective: to understand the conceptions of elderly people about the repercussions of chronic diseases on their mental health. Method: qualitative, descriptive study with 13 elderly people diagnosed with chronic diseases registered in a Family Health Unit. The information was collected through the application of a form of a semi-structured interview script. The interviews were analyzed according to the content analysis technique. Results: the analysis of the content of the descriptions collected in the interviews resulted in four thematic categories: << Feelings related to the chronic disease >>; << Changes in life habits after the discovery of the chronic disease >>; << Difficulty to accept the chronic disease >> and << Search for spirituality for acceptance of the chronic disease >>. Conclusion: in order to reach the objective of the study, it was noticed the need to qualify professionals working in Primary Care to assist the elderly people, not only for the resolution of their demands at the moment, but also to know how to listen and identify possible repercussions that this disease brings to the lives of these individuals and to their mental health. Descriptors: Mental Health; Chronic disease; Elderly; Aging; Feelings; Psychosocial Impact.RESUMEN Objetivo: comprender las concepciones de personas ancianas acerca de las repercusiones de enfermedades crónicas en su salud mental. Método: estudio cualitativo, descriptivo, realizado con 13 personas ancianas con diagnóstico de enfermedades crónicas registradas en una Unidad de Salud de la Familia. Las informaciones fueron recogidas a partir de la aplicación de un formulario de una guía de entrevista semi-estructurada. Se analizaron entrevistas conforme a la técnica de análisis de contenido. Resultados: a partir del análisis de contenido de las descripciones originarias de las entrevistas, surrgieron cuatro categorías temáticas: << Sentimientos relacionados a la enfermedad crónica >>; << Cambios en los hábitos de vida después de descubrir la enfermedad crónica >>; << Dificultad para aceptación de la enfermedad crónica >> y << La búsqueda por la espiritualidad para aceptación de la enfermedad crónica >>. Conclusión: con el alcance del objetivo del estudio, se percibió la necesidad de calificación de los profesionales actuantes de la Atención Básica para asistir el ser anciano, no apenas para la resolutividad de sus demandas en el momento, pero también para saber oir e identificar las posibles repercusiones que esa enfermedad trae para la vida de estos individuos y su salud mental. Descriptores: Salud mental; Enfermedad crónica; Ancianos; Envejecimiento; Sentimientos; Impacto Psicosocial.

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Willingness to Pay for Seasonal Influenza Vaccination among Children, Chronic Disease Patients, and the Elderly in China: A National Cross-Sectional Survey

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines8030405 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 405

Author(s):

Xiaozhen Lai ◽

Hongguo Rong ◽

Xiaochen Ma ◽

Zhiyuan Hou ◽

Shunping Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Insurance ◽

Chronic Disease ◽

Willingness To Pay ◽

Influenza Vaccination ◽

Seasonal Influenza ◽

The Elderly ◽

Vaccine Uptake ◽

Tobit Regression ◽

Chronic Disease Patients ◽

The Cost

Background: The disease burden of seasonal influenza is substantial in China, while the vaccination rate is extremely low, and most people have to pay 100% for vaccination. This study aims to examine willingness to pay (WTP) and recommended financing sources for influenza vaccination among children, chronic disease patients, and the elderly in China and determine feasible measures to expand vaccination coverage. Methods: From August to October 2019, 6668 children’s caregivers, 1735 chronic disease patients, and 3849 elderly people were recruited from 10 provinces in China. An on-site survey was conducted via a especially designed PAD system. Tobit regression was adopted to predict the influencing factors of WTP. Results: The average WTP was 127.5 yuan (USD18.0) for children, 96.5 yuan (USD13.7) for chronic disease patients, and 88.1 yuan (USD12.5) for the elderly. Most participants in the three groups thought government subsidies (94.8%, 95.8%, and 95.5%) or health insurance (94.3%, 95.3%, and 94.5%) should cover part of the cost, and nearly four-fifths (80.1%, 79.5%, and 76.8%) believed that individuals should also pay for part. Tobit regression showed that a higher perceived importance of vaccination, knowing about priority groups, and considering that individuals should co-pay were promoters of WTP, while considering price as a hindrance lowered WTP. Conclusions: The WTP for influenza vaccination among children, chronic disease patients, and the elderly in China is fairly high, suggesting that price is not the primary hindrance and there is room to expand immunization. Most participants expected the government and/or health insurance to pay part of the cost, and such supportive funding could act as a promotive policy “signal” to improve vaccine uptake. Influenza-related health education is also needed to expand vaccine coverage.

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Multivariate linear regression method based on SPSS analysis of influencing factors of CPI during epidemic situation

2020 2nd International Conference on Economic Management and Model Engineering (ICEMME) ◽

10.1109/icemme51517.2020.00062 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jingren Liang

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Influencing Factors ◽

Regression Method ◽

Multivariate Linear Regression ◽

Linear Regression Method

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Exploring the influencing factors of quality of life among the empty nesters in Shanxi, China: a structural equation model

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes ◽

10.1186/s12955-021-01793-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Chichen Zhang ◽

Yuan Cai ◽

Yaqing Xue ◽

Xiao Zheng ◽

Xiaozhao Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Linear Regression ◽

Influencing Factors ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Economic Status ◽

The Elderly ◽

Equation Model ◽

Shanxi Province ◽

Socio Economic Status

Abstract Background As China’s aging trend intensifies and the proportion of empty nests increases, the health-related quality of life of the elderly is the focus of social attention. Previous studies focused on the quality of life of the elderly, rather than empty nesters, and lacked the discussion of the mechanism of influencing factors. Thus, this study aimed to explore the influencing factors of the quality of life (QOL) and interaction mechanisms among empty nesters in Shanxi Province, China, so as to provide practical reference for improving the QOL of empty nesters. Methods A total of 4901 empty nesters in Shanxi Province, China, were selected using multi-stage random cluster sampling method in this cross-sectional study. The quality of life was assessed with the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). Multiple linear regression analysis (stepwise) was performed to examine the factor associated with QOL. Structural equation model (SEM) approach was conducted to test the direct and indirect association between QOL influencing factors with QOL. Results The average QOL score of empty nesters was 63.34 (SD = 17.23). The multiple linear regression revealed that gender, age, education, monthly income, drinking status, exercise frequency, physical examination frequency, attention to daily nutritional health, relationship with a spouse and relationship with children were significant predictors of the empty nester’s QOL (P < 0.05) (R2 = 0.128). SEM showed that behavioral lifestyle had a direct effect on QOL (β = 0.446, P < 0.001). Socio-economic status had an indirect effect (β = 0.288, P < 0.001) on QOL through behavioral lifestyle. The family relationship had an indirect effect (β = 0.115, P < 0.001) on QOL. Conclusion Behavioral lifestyle was the strongest influencing factor in the quality of life among empty nesters, followed by socio-economic status and family relationships. Thus, maintaining a healthy behavioral lifestyle was important to improve the QOL of the empty nesters. Our findings provide a concrete and strong reference for the formulation of targeted intervention strategies.

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RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS OF THE HEALTH STATUS OF ELDERLY PEOPLE

Applied Researches in Technics Technologies and Education ◽

10.15547/artte.2019.01.009 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 73-78

Author(s):

Tanya Paskaleva ◽

Biyanka Torniyova ◽

Maya Vizeva ◽

Dimitar Shopov

Keyword(s):

Chronic Disease ◽

Health Status ◽

Characteristic Feature ◽

Chronic Diseases ◽

Elderly People ◽

Average Rate ◽

The Elderly ◽

Cardiac Diseases ◽

Anonymous Questionnaire ◽

The City

Ageing is a clearly identifiable time and life period that is associated with a number of medico-social problems, which are to a great extent connected to the changes that occur in the organism at that age. Together with the problems, due to involutive processes and the functional peculiarities, one should not underestimate such, connected to morbidity. Aim: To research and analyze the health status of the elderly people. Materials and methods - There has been conducted a direct individual anonymous questionnaire amongst elderly people aged 60 or more, through accidental principle, in the period between April 2016 and February 2018. Results: The analysis of the health status of the elderly people shows multiple pathologies - highest is the rate of the cardiac diseases. A characteristic feature of the pathology with the elderly people is its multitude - 49% have stated two and three diseases. Women have more often three and more diseases, and with men there prevail the percentage without any diseases. The city dwellers are with higher average rate of the number of diseases and it is more often that they suffer from chronic diseases. 65,2% of the respondents with lower incomes (up to 150 lv.) have been in dispensaries owing to a chronic disease. Highest is the rate of the respondents who assess their health status as satisfactory – 49,1%.

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Mobile-Based Technology for the Management of Chronic Diseases in the Elderly: A Feasibility Study

Current Aging Science ◽

10.2174/1874609812666190621145057 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 84-90

Author(s):

Ghazal Shagerdi ◽

Haleh Ayatollahi ◽

Fatemeh Oskouie

Keyword(s):

Chronic Disease ◽

Disease Management ◽

Chronic Diseases ◽

Elderly People ◽

Feasibility Study ◽

Chronic Disease Management ◽

The Elderly ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Survey Study ◽

Economic Dimension

Introduction: Population aging and related issues are among the most important challenges in different countries. It seems that the use of remote technology can provide the elderly with better healthcare services and can help them to manage chronic diseases. This research aimed to investigate the experts' views about the feasibility of using mobile-based technology to manage chronic diseases in the elderly. Methods: This was a survey study which was completed in 2018. The participants were the faculty members of the department of geriatrics across the country (n=33). In order to collect data, two questionnaires were used. The first questionnaire contained questions related to the five dimensions of a feasibility study and the second questionnaire consisted of five open questions about the opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses of using mobile-based technology in chronic disease management. The qualitative data were analyzed by using content analysis method and the quantitative data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. Results: From the participants’ perspectives, it was feasible to use mobile-based technology in chronic disease management for elderly people. The mean values for five feasibility dimensions were as follows: ethico-legal dimension (4.09±1.01), scheduling dimension (3.70±1.03), economic dimension (3.47±1.04), operational dimension (3.42±1.12) and technical dimension (3.07±1.27). While such a technology can help increasing the accessibility of healthcare services, raising health literacy, and saving time and costs, the main threats, namely; the misinterpretation of information and the possibility of breeching confidentiality should not be underestimated. Conclusion: The results showed that mHealth and remote medical technologies can be used for chronic disease management among elderly people. However, these technologies have some strengths and weaknesses. In order to succeed in the development and implementation of these projects, it is essential to consider probable threats and weaknesses before implementing the applications.

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