Factors affecting households' exposure to catastrophic health costs in Abadan city

Out-of-pocket payments and incurring health costs are two important factors in health care planning and policy calculations. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the factors affecting households' exposure to catastrophic health costs.

The present study is a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study conducted in 2017. 768 households in 77 clusters of 10 households in Abadan city were surveyed. The data collection tool was a questionnaire of the World Health Organization. SPSS-20 software, descriptive statistics and multiple regression methods were used to analyze the data. Ethical considerations were observed in all stages of the study.

35.9% (276) of households face catastrophic health costs, 96.1% (738) of households had insurance coverage, household age, level of education and place of residence were the factors affecting catastrophic health costs (P <0.05). 63.9% (491) of households are aware of free health care services. 61.3% (471) of households are aware of ways to prevent diseases.

The results of the study showed that by reducing the level of income and increasing the household dimension, the family will face more catastrophic health costs, so by strengthening insurance coverage and more government assistance can reduce the exposure of households to disastrous health costs