Determining use of preventive health care in Ontario: comparison of rates of 3 maneuvers in administrative and survey data.
OBJECTIVE
To examine rates of influenza vaccination, mammography, and Papanicolaou smear by comparing data obtained from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan administrative database with rates as self-reported in the Canadian Community Health Survey.


METHODS
Retrospective cohort study using data from Statistics Canada's 2000-2001 Canadian Community Health Survey and from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan administrative database for the same period.


METHODS
Ontario.


METHODS
Those aged 12 and older who had received influenza vaccination, women aged 35 or older who had had mammograms within the past 2 years, and women aged 18 or older who had had Pap smears within the past 3 years who were surveyed during the Canadian Community Health Survey in 2001.


METHODS
Rates of influenza vaccination, mammography, and Pap smear in Ontario's 14 Local Health Integration Networks by network, age group, and socioeconomic status.


RESULTS
Rates varied by health network. Analysis by age showed that influenza vaccination rates increased with age and peaked among those 75 and older. Rates of mammography screening increased with age but dropped substantially among those 75 and older. Rates of Pap smear peaked among those 20 to 39 and decreased with increasing age. Rates of mammography and Pap smear increased with rising socioeconomic status, but influenza vaccination rates did not differ substantially by socioeconomic status. Rates for all 3 preventive maneuvers were lower in the Ontario Health Insurance Plan data than in the self-reported Canadian Community Health Survey data.


CONCLUSIONS
There are obstacles to finding out the true rates of preventive health care use in Ontario. We need to ascertain these rates in order to establish a criterion standard for delivery of these services. Development of programs to target specific geographic locations, socioeconomic classes, and high-risk groups are needed to increase the overall use of preventive health services in Ontario.
Wang
Li
L
Primary Care Research Unit at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Ont.
Jason
X Nie
XN
Upshur
Ross E G
RE
D001294:Attitude to Health; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009313:National Health Programs; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009864:Ontario; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D007252:Influenza Vaccines