title: Does more health care improve health among older adults? A longitudinal analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This research assesses the association of health services use with subsequent physical health among older Americans, adjusting for the confounding between health care use and prior health.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal data are from the Survey on Assets and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD). Linear and logistic regressions are used to model the linkages between medical care use and health outcomes, including self-rated health, functional limitations, and mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There is limited evidence that increased health care use is correlated with improved subsequent health. Increased use of medical care is largely associated with poorer health outcomes. Moreover, there are no significant interaction effects of health care use and baseline health on Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, despite the existence of a significant but very small interaction effect on self-rated health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings have implications for the quality of care delivered by the American health care system.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: Ezra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Golberstein
authors.forename: Jersey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quiñones
authors.forename: Fredric D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Wolinsky
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D014481:United States