Predictors of unmet health care needs in Serbia; Analysis based on EU-SILC data

PLoS One. 2017 Nov 8;12(11):e0187866. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187866. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Unmet health care needs have been designated as an indicator of equality in access to health care, which provides insight into specific barriers faced by respondents when they need medical services. The purpose of this research was to analyze demographic, socioeconomic, regional characteristics and perception of the health status; and identify predictors of unmet health care needs and consequently determine the size of inequalities in the availability, accessibility and acceptability of health care. The cross-sectional study obtained data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions in the Republic of Serbia in 2014, based on a sample of 20,069 respondents over 16 years. Data was collected by using a household questionnaire and a questionnaire for individuals. Multivariate logistic regressions were applied. Almost every seventh citizen (14.9%) reported unmet health care needs. Predictors of unmet needs, for overall reasons, which increase the likelihood of their emergence included: self-perceived health status as very bad (OR = 6.37), divorced or widower/widow (OR = 1.31), living in the Sumadija region or Western Serbia (OR = 1.54) and belonging to the age group of 27 to 44 (OR = 1.55) or 45 to 64 years (OR = 1.52). The probability for those least reporting unmet health care needs included female patients (OR = 0.81), those with higher education (OR = 0.77), those who belong to the richest quintile (OR = 0.46) and who are unemployed (OR = 0.64). Reasons for unmet needs that indicate the responsibility of the health system amounted to 58.2% and reasons which represent preferences of the respondents amounted to 41.7%. The most frequent reason for unmet needs was financial (36.6%), and the wish to wait and see if the problem got better on its own (18.3%). Health policy should adopt a multidimensional approach and develop incentives for the appropriate use of health services and should eliminate barriers which restrict the accessibility and availability.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Health Services Accessibility / economics
  • Health Services Accessibility / ethics
  • Health Services Accessibility / statistics & numerical data*
  • Health Services Needs and Demand / statistics & numerical data*
  • Health Status*
  • Health Surveys
  • Healthcare Disparities / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Income
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Serbia
  • Sex Factors

Grants and funding

NP, ZTS, and SS were funded by the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit, via a grant from the program "Support to Improve Social Inclusion in Serbia Phase 2," avaliable at: http://socijalnoukljucivanje.gov.rs/sr/. Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia funded ZTS, Grant No. 41004, Contract No. 175042 (2011–2014), available at: http://www.mpn.gov.rs/tehnoloski-razvoj-2/projekti/. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.