Health Expenditure Modelling in Southeast of Iran: A Population-Based Setting Using Quantile Regression Perspective

Equity in health is the focus of attention in the world health circles in recent decades. The financing of household health expenditure is, therefore, a concern in any region.
The current study aimed at exploring the determinants of household health expenditure in Sistan and Baluchistan province, Southeast of Iran.
The data of the current study were a part of the Iranian households’ income and expenditure survey, administered by the Iranian statistical center (ISC) from March 2013 to March 2014. A 3-stage stratified cluster sampling method was employed in the current cross sectional survey. A total of 1391 households from Sistan and Baluchistan province were randomly selected. The study employed quantile regression modelling to determine the effective explanatory variables of household health expenses. R programming language version 3.3.2 was used for data analysis.
It was found that annual median per capita medical expenditure was US$ 5.36 (first quartile = 0; third quartile = 38.31). Households also spent about 3.9% of their annual income on health expenses per capita. Literacy, occupational status of household head, and family income had significant effect on the median of household health expenses.
Researchers and policy makers should pay more attention to household health expenses, as it is an important matter in the low-income and deprived areas.