title: [Health services use among elderly people living in the community].
abstract: The objective of this study was to analyze the pattern of health service use of aged patients enrolled with the public health services of Guarapuava, Paraná, Brazil. Home interviews were performed with 359 aged individuals, who were selected using stratified proportional sampling. The interviews were conducted in the period between January and April of 2010 at the homes of the aged participants, using sections I and III of the BOAS (Brazil Old Age Schedule). Association analysis was performed using the χ² test. The health services most used by the aged subjects over the last three months were medical appointments (49.6%) and clinical exams (38.4%). Women used health services more often (p=0.0240); 55.6% of the aged participants reported not seeking dental care. In conclusion, the aged population is a large user of health services and the city's public health network must be organized in view of an increasing demand for therapeutic diagnostic procedures.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste, Guarapuava, Brasil. caliopepilger@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Calíope
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pilger
authors.forename: Mario Umberto
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Menon
authors.forename: Thais Aidar de Freitas
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Mathias
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics