Unmet needs for informal care among people with type 2 diabetes in rural communities in Vietnam

• Authors: Dan Wolf Meyrowitsch, Københavns Universitet; Jannie Nielsen, Emory University; Ib Christian Bygbjerg, Københavns Universitet; Jens Søndergaard, Københavns Universitet; Diep K Thi, Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy; Dieu Bui Thi Huyen, Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy; Tine Gammeltoft, Københavns Universitet; Thanh Nguyen Duc, Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy
• Journal Title: Public Health in Practice
• Volume: Volume 5
• Publisher: Elsevier BV | 2023-06-01, Pages 100364-100364
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2023.100364
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Public Health
• Keywords: Informal care; Type-2 diabetes; Unmet needs

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify determinants associated with unmet needs for informal support among people with type-2 diabetes in rural communities of Vietnam in order to inform development of effective interventions aimed at bridging the gap between community members and resource constrained health systems. Study design: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from December 2018 to February 2019 in a rural area of northern Vietnam. Methods: From 2 districts in northern Vietnam, 806 people with type-2 diabetes participated in a survey to assess who were their most important informal caregivers (ICGs) and to measure the association between demographic and socio-economic predictors and unmet needs of informal support of relevance for diabetes self-care using bivariate and multivariate analyses. Results: The spouse was reported as the most important ICG (62.9%) followed by a daughter or son (28.4%). 32.0% reported at least one type of unmet need for informal support. The most commonly reported unmet needs of informal care were: transport to health facilities and company when seeking formal care (20.5%), financial support related to costs of diabetes self-management (18.5%), and reminders to engage in physical exercise (14.5%). People living alone reported the highest odds ratio (OR) for unmet need of informal care (OR = 4.41; CI95%: 2.19–8.88), followed by those being poor (OR = 3.79; CI95%: 1.25–11.52) and those being unemployed (OR = 2.85; CI95%: 1.61–5.05). Conclusions: Almost one-third of people with type-2 diabetes reported at least one type of unmet need for informal care. These findings provide a basis for development of new modalities for strengthening support provided by ICGs in rural communities in Vietnam and in other low- and middle-income countries.