Background: Given its low-middle-income status, Vietnam is experiencing a rapidly aging population. Along with this demographic trend, the care needs of older adults, particularly those with functional disabilities, have become an emerging policy issue.
Purpose: This study examined the prevalence of unmet needs for care in activities of daily living (ADLs) among Vietnamese older adults with functional disabilities.
Methods: We used data from the Population Change and Family Planning Survey (PCS) in 2021, which was a nationally representative survey. Cross-tabulations and logistic regressions were applied to identify older adults' individual and household factors associated with their unmet care needs.
Results: Overall, 4.80% of older adults with at least one functional disability needing care to perform one or more ADLs suffered from unmet needs, of whom 2.32% did not receive any care and 3.05% received insufficient assistance. Logistic regression results revealed that age, sex, place of residence, ethnicity, marital status, education levels, and self-rated health were significantly associated with unmet needs. The higher risk of having unmet needs is associated with those in middle age (70-79), men, rural residents, ethnic minorities, currently unmarried people, those with less than a primary educational level, and those with normal or poor self-rated health.
Conclusion: Attention should be paid to vulnerable older adults, such as those living in rural areas with poor health status, in order to reduce their unmet needs for ADL assistance.
Keywords: Vietnam; activities of daily living (ADLs); aging; care; older persons; unmet needs.
Copyright © 2023 Phi, Giang and Pham.