Causal Model of Oral Health Care Expenditure in the Surveyed Households of Dharwad, Karnataka State, India: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the contributory relationships among factors determining demand of oral health care by utilizing the applications of structural equation modelling (SEM). A systematic random sample of 1,381 persons was interviewed from 280 households, in which 208 persons were reported with various oral health problems during reference period of study, and data were collected through direct personal interview method. The causal relationships were established by SEM method using SPSS and AMOS statistical software. All factors have significant positive relationship with oral health care (p < 0.05), except the distance of care from the residence (in km) and total number of living persons in the household have a significant negative relationship with oral health care (p < 0.05). The SEM fitted to the oral health care data adequately. The results indicated that the age of sick person, duration of illness episode (in days) and the total number of visits made to source of health care during the reference period had significant effect on oral health care expenditure (p < 0.05). The duration of illness episode (in days) and the total number of visits made to source of health care during the reference period are the main contributors to oral health care expenditure in surveyed households of Dharwad, Karnataka, India. It is proposed that to meet the increase the demand for health care, efforts should be made to reduce the duration of illness, the distance travelled by the sick person or patient and also, the number of visits to health care providers.