title: Impact of demographic change, socioeconomics, and health care resources on life expectancy in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Demographic and socioeconomic changes and the availability of health care resources were collected to examine the impacts on life expectancy in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.
  
  
  METHODS
  An ecological design collecting 29 years (1980-2008) data for three Southeast Asian countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Life expectancy, demographics, socioeconomic status, and health care resources were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The structural equation model indicates that more available health care resources and socioeconomic advantages were more likely to increase life expectancy. By contrast, demographic change was more likely to increase life expectancy by way of health care resources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results show that factors that had direct impacts on life expectancy in all three countries were socioeconomic status and health care resources. Demographic changes had an indirect influence on life expectancy via health care resources. These findings suggest that policymakers should be focusing on how to remove the barriers that impede access to health care services during economic downturns. In addition, how to increase preventive care for the populations that have less access to health care in communities.
authors.affiliation: Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore. nurcmf@nus.edu.sg
authors.forename: Moon Fai
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Beverly Joan
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D002160:Cambodia; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D003710:Demography; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007812:Laos; D008017:Life Expectancy; D002052:Myanmar; D011153:Population; D011203:Poverty; D011315:Preventive Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration; D011634:Public Health; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors