Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Utilization of elderly health promotion services during COVID 19 in Iran: A cross‑sectional study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

. Telma Zahirian Moghadam 1
. Hamed Zandian 2
. Hadi Shirin Bonyad 3

1 Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran

2 Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran

3 Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran

Abstract
BACKGROUND: The outbreak of COVID‑19 pandemic has made it difficult for older adults to utilize
ordinary elder services. This cross‑sectional study investigated the status of feeling the need, seek,
and utilization of health promotion services among older adults in Ardabil, Iran, covered by the
country’s comprehensive health system during the pandemic.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive‑analytical and cross‑sectional study was conducted
on 739 elderly people in Ardabil province. Cluster random sampling method was used for sampling.
Data were gathered by referring trained individuals to the place of residence of the selected older
adults Questionnaires were consisted of three parts: demographic information, household’s economic
status, and feeling the need, seek, and utilization from health promotion services. Multivariate logistic
regression was used to separately model the need, seeking for, and utilization of health promotion
services in STATA ver. 14.
RESULTS: The mean age of the older adults in this study was 68.88 ± 4.72 years. The results
indicate that men showed significantly greater need, seek for, and utilization of health promotion
services during COVID‑ 19 than women. According to the results, people over the age of 80 had
4.08 times (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.99–12.60) more need and utilization of health services
than the older adults under 65 years. The results also indicate that use of health promotion services
was significantly associated with being married (3.74, 95% CI: 1.22–2.62), having primary insurance
and supplementary insurance (1.92, 95% CI: 1.21–3.12), and obesity (2.05, 95% CI: 1.13–3.76) in
P < 0.05 level. Based on the results, people with chronic disease and obesity were more likely to
utilize health promotion services.
CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the access and utilization of inpatient and outpatient health
services by the elderly in the COVID‑19 pandemic has somewhat decreased, which could be due
to the fear of the disease being referred to health centers by the elderly. Hence, enabling conditions
such as parental health care were major factors affecting health‑seeking habits among the Iranian
elder population.

Keywords

COVID‑19 (severe acute respiratory syndrome‑coronavirus‑2)
health services
older adults
utilization evaluation
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Journal of Education and Health Promotion
Volume 12, Issue 8
September 2022
Pages 1-9

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