Morbidity Profile and Healthcare Service Utilization Pattern Among Geriatric Population in the Rural Himalayan Region of Uttarakhand, India: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: The increasing elderly population, along with their health problems, is a matter of concern, especially in the difficult terrains of the hilly Himalayan region of northern India. Hence, the present study was conducted to assess the healthcare-seeking behavior of the elderly and adherence to medication.

Methods: The present community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 elderly participants by a consecutive sampling method. Data were collected during the months of July 2021 to October 2021 after obtaining institutional ethical clearance. Bivariate logistic regression was done to assess factors associated with healthcare services utilization patterns and adherence to medications in chronic diseases. Significant factors were then analyzed with a multivariate logistic regression model. Variables with p-value <0.05 on multivariate analysis were considered statistically significant.

Results: The mean age of the study participants was 67.2 (±8.09) years, and 52% were males. Chronic illness was diagnosed in 45.6% participants. Only 121 (48.4%) participants were aware of health insurance schemes among whom 95 (38%) were registered. Appropriate healthcare-seeking behavior for acute illness episodes was seen in 68.9% of participants. A government healthcare facility was the most preferred facility. Low adherence to chronic disease medication was seen in 41.2%. Participants registered under any health insurance scheme had higher adherence to medications (OR=0.36; 95% CI, 0.15-0.86; p-value=0.02).

Conclusions: The majority of the participants preferred government healthcare facilities. Registration under any health insurance scheme was found to significantly influence adherence to medications. Further qualitative studies can be of paramount importance in understanding the perspectives of the geriatric population in the study area.