| Background and Objective:China’s hospice palliative care has developed rapidly in recent years,but less attention has been paid to rural areas.The objective of the study is to investigate the preferred place of death and associated factors among ethnic minority residents in Southwest China.An understanding of its heterogeneity is important for promoting palliative care services in China.Methods:Participants were recruited by convenient sampling in an ethnic inhabitant in Southwest China.A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect the general information of the participants,their willingness to treat incurable diseases,and their preferences for the place of death.Results:3950 valid questionnaires were collected.Among them,2170(54.9%)were males.1815(45.9%)were under 30 years old,2024(51.7%)were between 30 and 59 years old,93 were 60 years old or above.2485(62.9%)were ethnic minorities.2323(58.8%)lived in rural areas.For the preferred place of death,37.2%(n=1469)chose home,17.3%(n=684)chose hospital or hospice institution,and 45.5%(n=1797)answered "Don’t know".Factors associated with the choice were gender,educational level,place of residence,religious belief and ways of funeral(P<0.05).Males(OR=1,860,95%CI:1.234-2.802),those with primary education or below(OR=2.090,95%CI:1.301-3.358),those living in rural areas(OR=1.710,95%CI:1.163-2.514),those having no religious belief(OR=1.750.95%CI:1.141-2.684)and those preferring to be buried in the ground(OR=2.060,95%CI:1.270-3.342)were more likely to choose to die at home.Conclusion:Among those who clearly chose the place of their death,more people preferred to die at home,which may be influenced by gender,education level,place of residence,religious belief and ways of funeral.Nearly half of the participants lacked consideration.It is necessary to strengthen the death literacy in the region and incorporate the hospice service into the community home care. |
