Health services accessibility among Spanish elderly.
The paper aims to identify the variables that best explain the use of health services by people aged 65 and over in Spain. The data comes from the 1993 Spanish National Health Survey (ENSE 93). The conceptual framework is the model proposed by Andersen, who suggests that utilisation is a function of predisposition to use the services, the ability to use them and of need. A bivariate and multivariate analysis (SPSS-X Discriminant Procedure) is conducted to define the predictors that best discriminate users and non-users. The use of each health service is explained by a different set of variables. The need variables play a more important role in predicting the use of non-discretionary services that are more closely related to healing processes (medical consultations, emergencies and hospitalisation). The predisposing and enabling variables are more relevant in explaining the use of dental services, indicating a certain degree of inequity of these discretionary services.
Fernández-Mayoralas
G
G
Department of Geography, Institute of Economics and Geography, Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Madrid. g.fmayoralas@ieg.csic.es
Rodríguez
V
V
Rojo
F
F
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015984:Causality; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain