Healthcare Cost Differences for Mexicans and Mexican Americans with Dementia
Author Information
Author(s): Anuarbe Mónika López, Angela Gutierrez
Primary Institution: Connecticut College, New London, Connecticut, United States; Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California, United States
Hypothesis
Persons with dementia incur higher healthcare costs in both countries, and residents in less populated areas have higher healthcare costs.
Conclusion
Persons with dementia in México had significantly higher healthcare costs compared to those without dementia, while U.S. individuals with dementia had lower, but insignificant, healthcare costs.
Supporting Evidence
- Persons with dementia in México had 60.3% higher average healthcare costs than individuals without dementia.
- Respondents with dementia had higher odds of incurring any healthcare costs in less densely populated areas.
- Individuals with dementia in areas with 250,000-1 million persons were less likely to incur healthcare costs compared to areas with at least 1 million inhabitants.
Takeaway
This study found that people with dementia in Mexico spend a lot more on healthcare than those without dementia, while those in the U.S. with dementia spend less, but it's not clear why.
Methodology
Utilized pooled cross-sectional and weighted data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study and the Health and Retirement Study.
Participant Demographics
Mexicans ages 50+ living in the U.S. and México.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p=0.04; p<0.001; p=0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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