Routine Medical Check‐Up and Self‐Treatment Practices among Community‐Dwelling Living in a Mountainous Area of Northern Vietnam
Tam Thi Ngo, Phong N. Hoang, Ha V. Pham, Dua Nhu Nguyen, Hoai Thi-Thu Bui, Anh Trung Nguyen, Dang Huy Quoc Thinh, Ngan Thien Thi Dang, Huy Q. Dinh, Dao Q. Truong, Tuan Le Anh
Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the routine medical check-up and self-treatment behaviors of people living in a remote and mountainous setting in Northern Vietnam and identify their associations. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 175 people in August 2018 in Cao Son commune, Da Bac district, Hoa Binh. Information regarding routine medical check-ups and self-treatment behaviors was collected by using a structured questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the associations. Results show that 24% of the mountainous people had routine medical check-ups in the last 12 months. The rate of self-treatment in the past three months was 33.7%. The number of chronic diseases (OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.0-2.3), health information sources from radio/television (OR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.2-9.5), or social media (OR = 24.8, 95% CI = 1.2-512.4) was related to routine medical check-up. People who did not have routine medical check-up were more likely to have self-treatment practice (OR = 6.3, 95% CI = 1.9-21.1) than those who had a regular health check. Promoting health education and communication through mass media to raise people's awareness about regular health check-ups is a promising way to improve people's self-treatment status.