Table 4.

Factors related to VNS use after stratified care levels

	Lower care-needs level group							Higher care-needs level group
	VNS non-use (n = 1007)		VNS use (n = 60)		χ2	p-value		VNS non-use (n = 163)		VNS use (n = 46)		χ2	p-value
	n	%	n	%				n	%	n	%
Sex
Female	788	94.9	42	5.1	2.2318	0.1352		83	78.3	23	21.7	0.0122	0.9122
Male	219	92.4	18	7.6				80	77.7	23	22.3
Age
< 75	134	93.7	9	6.3	0.1399	0.7084		52	83.9	10	16.1	1.7758	0.1827
75≦	873	94.5	51	5.5				111	75.5	36	24.5
Income Level
Lower income level1	965	94.6	55	5.4		0.2698	†	151	79.5	39	20.5	4.6317	0.0314*
Higher income level2	35	89.7	4	10.3				7	53.9	6	46.2
Conditions that caused a need for LTC
Respiratory or heart disease	50	83.3	10	16.7		0.0011**	†	9	75.0	3	25.0		0.7249	†
Others	951	95.1	49	4.9				154	78.6	42	21.4
Regular hospital visits before entry into the LTCI
Yes	400	93.2	29	6.8	1.7467	0.1863		92	74.2	32	25.8	2.5607	0.1096
No	607	95.1	31	4.9				71	83.5	14	16.5
Period of needing care
< 2 years	463	96.3	18	3.7	5.8298			52	80.0	13	20.0	0.1893	0.6635
2 years≦	530	92.8	41	7.2				109	77.3	32	22.7
Caregiver’s sex
Female	384	91.4	36	8.6	2.1439	0.1431		127	77.3	38	22.7	0.4310	0.5115
Male	182	94.8	10	5.2				28	82.4	6	17.7
Caregiver/applicant dyad
Wife/Husband (living with)	190	92.6	15	7.3	1.5985	0.2061		76	76.8	23	23.2	0.3554	0.5511
Others	787	94.9	42	5.1				85	80.2	21	19.8
Clients living with family or not
Living alone	498	96.3	19	3.7	7.0986	0.0077**		18	81.8	4	18.2	0.1730	0.6775
Living with family	497	92.6	40	7.5				145	78.0	41	22.0
Corporation type of care management agency
Medical	259	91.8	23	8.2	4.6333	0.0314*		57	76.0	18	24.0	0.2700	0.6033
Non-medical	748	95.3	37	4.7				106	79.1	28	20.9
Home-help service use
Yes	319	92.7	25	7.3	2.5861	0.1078		57	78.1	16	21.9	0.0006	0.9813
No	688	95.2	35	4.8				106	77.9	30	20.1

* p < 0.05 ** p < 0.01.

† Fisher’s exact test, other using the chi-squared test.

1 Lower income level: not paying personal income tax.

2 Higher income level: paying personal income tax.