Socio-ecological determinants of neurological disease Burden: A hospital-based cross-sectional study in Medan, Indonesia
1 Internal Medicine Section, Sahuddin Hospital, Southeast Aceh, Kutacane, Indonesia.
2 Department of Public Health, Public Health Faculty, Muhammadiyah Aceh University Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
Research Article
Open Access Research Journal of Science and Technology, 2025, 14(02), 085-093.
Article DOI: 10.53022/oarjst.2025.14.2.0097
Publication history:
Received on 19 June 2025; revised on 24 July 2025; accepted on 26 July 2025
Abstract:
Background: Neurological diseases represent a significant and growing global health burden, particularly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) like Indonesia, where data for effective health planning is scarce. This study aimed to analyze the socio-ecological determinants contributing to the neurological disease burden at a tertiary referral hospital in Medan, Indonesia.
Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at dr. Pirngadi Hospital, Medan. A sample of 500 elderly patients was selected through purposive sampling. Data on six latent variables (access, education, environment, lifestyle, social factors, and neurological disease burden) were collected using a validated questionnaire with a Likert scale and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).
Results: The analysis revealed that lifestyle was the most dominant predictor of neurological disease burden (β = 0.663, p = 0.000). Access to health services (β = 0.194, p = 0.000) and social factors (β = 0.093, p = 0.012) also showed a significant but more moderate influence. Conversely, education (p = 0.236) and environment (p = 0.308) did not have a significant direct effect on the neurological disease burden.
Conclusion: Lifestyle is the most critical determinant of neurological disease burden in this population. These findings strongly suggest a need for a paradigm shift in health policy from curative-focused approaches to preventive strategies that prioritize the promotion of healthy lifestyles to effectively mitigate the rising burden of neurological disorders.
Keywords:
Neurological Disease Burden; Socio-Ecological Determinants; Lifestyle; Cross-Sectional Study; Ls-Sem
Full text article in PDF:
Copyright information:
Copyright © 2025 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0