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The Health Care Determinants in Bangladesh

The health care determinants depends on individual and household factors such as income, cost of drug, age, level of
education, duration of illness and health care delivery characteristics like price, distance, waiting time and quality of care.
The definitions of the explanatory variables are given as follows

Price:
The demand for health care depends on the price of that service. Fees are considered as price of the services. In this study,
the price of health care is measured by unit price of the providers.
Cost of Drug
Cost of drug influences the demand for health care. In this study, cost of drug is considered as money price.

Income:
Income is an important determinant of the demand for health care. Income influences the demand for health care. High-
income individuals seek more formal health care and prefer private facilities because they can afford it. Income is measured
by monthly income of a household

Education:
Education is also an important determinant of demand for health care. Education can improve access to health services by
increasing individuals' patience and motivation. Education can also enhance the demand for health care by several ways that
is
Awareness, knowledge of health care and motivation. More educated persons produce better health status and typically
engaged in healthier behaviors. In this study, education is measured by the level of schooling of an individual.

Age:
Age is an important factor for explaining the demand for health care. In this study, age is a continuous variable. It is assumed
that older people and child tend to consume large amount of health care than others.

Quality of Care:
Quality of care also influences the demand for health care. Quality of care can be measured by internal quality and external
quality. Internal quality of care is measured by using level of satisfaction, quality of the service provider and behaviour of
other staff. In this study, internal quality of care is adopted to explain the perceived quality of care. For this reason, a specific
measure is employed in this study in which the rating scale 2, 1 and 0 represents good, average and bad respectively.
Measurement of external quality of care is based on consumer’s perception.

Distance:
Distance variable affects the demand for health care. Distance variable is measured in kilometer. Generally, patient would
like short distance for getting treatment. But sometimes, patient would like long distance for getting better quality of
treatment.

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List the Health Status Determinants in Bangladesh

Income and social status


Higher income and social status are linked to better health. The greater the gap between the richest and poorest people, the
greater the differences in health.

Education
Low education levels are linked with poor health, more stress and lower self-confidence.

Physical environment
Safe water and clean air, healthy workplaces, safe houses, communities and roads all contribute to good health. Employment
and working conditions people in employment are healthier, particularly those who have more control over their working
conditions

Social support networks


Greater support from families, friends and communities is linked to better health. Culture customs and traditions, and the
beliefs of the family and community all affect health.

Genetics
Inheritance plays a part in determining lifespan, healthiness and the likelihood of developing certain illnesses. Personal
behavior and coping skill balanced eating, keeping active, smoking, drinking, and how we deal with life’s stresses and
challenges all affect health.

Health services
Access and use of services that prevent and treat disease influences health

Gender
Men and women suffer from different types of diseases at different ages.

6
Compare the determinants in regional countries.

The South-East Asia region (SEAR) accounts for one-quarter of the world's population, 40% of the global poor and ∼30% of
the global disease burden, with a disproportionately large share of tuberculosis (35%), injuries (30%), maternal (33%) and <5-
year-old mortality. In this article, we describe the disease burden and status of epidemiological research and capacity in the
SEAR to understand, analyze and develop capacity in response to the diverse burdens of diseases in the region.

Data on morbidity, mortality, risk factors, social determinants, research capacity, health education, workforce and systems in
the SEAR were obtained using global data on burden of disease, peer-reviewed journals, World Health Organization (WHO)
technical and advisory reports, and where available, validated country reports and key informants from the region.

SEAR countries are afflicted with a triple burden of disease-infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases and injuries. Of
the seven WHO regions, SEAR countries account for the highest proportion of global mortality (26%) and due to relatively
younger ages at death, the second highest percentage of total years of life lost (30%). The SEAR exceeds the global average
annual mortality rate for all three broad cause groupings-communicable, maternal, prenatal and nutritional conditions (334
vs 230 per 100 000); non-communicable diseases (676 vs 573 per 100 000); and injuries (101 vs. 78 per 100 000). Poverty,
education and other social determinants of health are strongly linked to inequities in health among SEAR countries and
within socio-economic subgroups. India, Thailand and Bangladesh produce two-thirds of epidemiology publications in the
region. Significant efforts to increase health workforce capacity, research and training have been undertaken in the region,
yet considerable heterogeneity in resources and capacity remains.

Health systems, statistics and surveillance programmers must respond to the demographic, economic and epidemiological
transitions that define the current disease burden and risk profile of SEAR populations. Inequities in health must be critically
analyzed, documented and addressed through multi-sectoral approaches. There is a critical need to improve public health
intelligence by building epidemiological capacity in the region.

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