| Title: |
Understanding the primary healthcare context in rural South and Southeast Asia: a village profiling study |
| Authors: |
Chew, Rusheng; Zaman, Sazid Ibna; Joly, Mst Asfat Ara; Uddin, Didar; Nurullah, Md; Callery, James J.; Perrone, Carlo; Peto, Thomas J.; Phommasone, Koukeo; Phyo, Aung Pyae; Roobsoong, Wanlapa; Sen, Aninda; Vanna, Moul; Chandna, Arjun; Pongvongsa, Tiengkham; Dysoley, Lek; Day, Nicholas P. J.; Lubell, Yoel; Maude, Richard J. |
| Publisher Information: |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Collection: |
The Open University: Open Research Online (ORO) |
| Description: |
Background Understanding contextual factors is critical to the success of health service planning and implementation. However, few contextual data are available at the village level in rural South and Southeast Asia. This study addressed the gap by profiling representative villages across seven sites in Thailand (n=3), Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Methods Key informant surveys supplemented by other information sources were used to collect data from 687 villages on four key indicators (literacy rate, and percentages of attended deliveries, fully immunised children and latrine coverage), as well as access to various services. Data were analysed descriptively. Results Sites varied considerably. Five were highly diverse ethno-culturally and linguistically, and all relied on primary health centres and village health/malaria workers as the main providers of primary healthcare. These were generally bypassed by severely ill patients for urban first-level referral hospitals and private sector facilities. While >75% of villages were near primary schools, educational attainment was generally low. Over 70% of villages at each site had mobile phone coverage and availability of electricity was high (≥65% at all sites bar Myanmar). Conclusion These results illustrate the similarities and differences of villages in this region that must be considered in public health research and policymaking. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
https://oro.open.ac.uk/103620/1/103620.pdf; https://oro.open.ac.uk/103620/9/103620final.pdf; Chew, Rusheng; Zaman, Sazid Ibna; Joly, Mst Asfat Ara; Uddin, Didar; Nurullah, Md; Callery, James J.; Perrone, Carlo; Peto, Thomas J.; Phommasone, Koukeo; Phyo, Aung Pyae; Roobsoong, Wanlapa; Sen, Aninda; Vanna, Moul; Chandna, Arjun; Pongvongsa, Tiengkham; Dysoley, Lek; Day, Nicholas P. J.; Lubell, Yoel and Maude, Richard J. (2025). Understanding the primary healthcare context in rural South and Southeast Asia: a village profiling study. International Health, 17(5) pp. 754–768. |
| DOI: |
10.1093/inthealth/ihaf025 |
| Availability: |
https://oro.open.ac.uk/103620/; https://oro.open.ac.uk/103620/1/103620.pdf; https://oro.open.ac.uk/103620/9/103620final.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1093/inthealth/ihaf025 |
| Rights: |
cc_by_4 |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.2FF3E746 |
| Database: |
BASE |