Determination of Health Services Utilization Rate among Construction Workers and Their Families in Isfahan, Iran, in 2013

One of the criteria of health equity is having health insurance coverage. Construction workers and their families are one of the most vulnerable populations regarding diseases and accidents. Thus, this study was conducted with the aim to determine the utilization rate of health services among construction workers ýand their families.
In this descriptive-analytical study, the rate of health services utilization by the families of construction workersý and factors associated with them were evaluated in the city of Isfahan, Iran, in 2013 using a standard questionnaire. Therefore, 400 married construction workers who were waiting for daily work on the walkways of the main squares of Isfahan were selected randomly. Data were gathered through interviews.
Findings: The findings showed that 39.5% of construction workers were not covered by any health insurance. Moreover, 19.25% of the construction workers’ families had required outpatient health services within the past 2 weeks, but only 71.43% of them had used these services. Approximately 17.25% of the construction workers’ families had required hospitalization within the past year. The average number of hospitalizations among the construction workersý’s families was 1.54 times per year. In addition, 4.75% of the families had suffered from catastrophic health expenditures due to hospitalization.
The rate of health insurance coverage among construction workers ýis lower than the average of the Iranian population. Construction workers’ ýfamilies who suffered from catastrophic health expenditures due to hospitalization were 2.5 times more than the average of the general population.