Physician use among the old-old. Factors affecting variability.
A random sample of 189 noninstitutionalized adults aged 75 and older was used to examine the influence of personal and social characteristics of the old-old on physician use. A path analysis traced direct and indirect effects of predisposing, enabling, and need variables within Andersen's health-behavior model. Income and perceived severity of symptoms were the only two variables with direct causal effects, whereas education, gender, race, living arrangements, and number of symptoms influenced physician use indirectly. Implications of the heterogeneity of the old-old for future research in health behavior are discussed.
Rosner
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Corinne Dolan Alzheimer Center, Chardon, Ohio 44024.
Namazi
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Wykle
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D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors