Traditional health services utilization in rural Indonesia: does socioeconomic status matter?

Introduction: The presence of traditional health services (THS) is expected by governments to fill the lack of modern health facilities available in rural areas. Also, the proportion of poor people in rural areas has been increasing more rapidly than it has in urban areas. The present study analyzed the socioeconomic status and THS utilization in rural Indonesia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the 2018 Indonesian Basic Health Survey. The study analyzed 357 556 adults (age ≥15 years), examining age, gender, marital status, education, and occupation as control factors, in addition to socioeconomic status (SES; with five divisions from 'lowest' to 'highest') and THS utilization. Binary logistic regression was used to evaluate the data.

Results: The results show that those with lower SES were 1.111 times more likely to utilize THS than those with the lowest SES (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.111; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.085-1.137). Those with middle SES were 1.113 times more likely than those with the lowest SES to utilize THS (AOR 1.113; 95%CI 1.086-1.140). Meanwhile, those with a higher SES are 1.166 times more likely than those with the lowest SES to use THS in rural Indonesia (AOR 1.166; 95%CI 1.139-1.194). Those with the highest SES were 1.166 times more likely than those with the lowest SES to use THS in rural Indonesia (AOR 1.166; 95%CI 1.134-1.200).

Conclusion: The study concluded that SES status relates to THS utilization in rural Indonesia. All SES levels are more likely than those with the lowest SES to utilize the THS in rural Indonesia. The results indicate that although all SES levels can receive it, the lowest SES group rarely accesses THS.