Psychological and Socio-Economic Factors Affecting Social Sustainability Through Impacts on Perceived Health Care Quality and Public Health: The Case of Vietnam

Abstract

A study on over 2000 patients has been conducted in Hanoi, Vietnam, to explore the influences of psychological and socio-economic factors on the evaluation of healthcare quality and public health by patients. The findings suggest effective health communication and the status of being married are two elements that have the strongest impact on people’s positive perceptions about healthcare quality (βHealthCom = 0.210, βotherMaritalstt = −0.386, p < 0.001). Young unmarried people and the insured tend to be more critical of healthcare quality (βAge = −0.005, p < 0.05; βyesHealthIns = −0.208, p < 0.001). At the same time, a higher BMI and better view of health care quality are linked to negative opinions about community health. These outcomes suggest that in order to maintain collective health as part of social sustainability, the Vietnamese government should pay attention to infrastructure improvement, insurance system reforms, and communication of personal health care knowledge.

Keywords: social health sustainability, public health, health insurance, health communication, health-related environmental issues

JEL Classification: I18