title: Gender Inequalities in Access to Health Care among Adults Living in British Columbia, Canada.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Existing literature is inconclusive as to whether disparities in access to health care between men and women are mainly driven by socioeconomic or gender inequalities. The aim of this study was to assess whether gender was independently associated with perceived unmet health care needs among a representative sample of British Columbia adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using data from the 2011/2012 Canadian Community Health Survey, logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the independent effect of gender on perceived unmet health care needs adjusting for potential individual and contextual confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 12,252 British Columbia adults (51.9% female), the prevalence of perceived unmet health care needs was 12.0%, with a significantly greater percentage among women compared with men (13.7% vs. 10.1%; p < .001). After adjusting for multiple confounders, women had independently increased odds of perceived unmet health care needs (adjusted odds ratio, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.11-1.68).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study found that, among a representative sample of British Columbia adults and adjusting for various individual and contextual factors, female gender was associated independently with an increased odds of perceived unmet health care needs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that within Canada's universal health system, gender further explains differences in health care access, over and above socioeconomic inequalities. Interventions within and outside the health sector are required to achieve equitable access to health care for all residents in British Columbia.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Electronic address: esocias@cfenet.ubc.ca.
authors.forename: M Eugenia
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Socías
authors.affiliation: School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koehoorn
authors.affiliation: School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shoveller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001955:British Columbia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult