title: Reflections on the conceptualization and measurement of access to health services in Argentina: The case of the National Survey of Risk Factors 2009.
abstract: In this article we reflect on the complexity surrounding the conceptualization and measurement of access to health services. We present the theoretical models habitually used to approach the issue and different ways of operationalizing these models, taking into account the implications for the analysis of the data and the information obtained. As an example of this complexity, we analyze the National Survey of Risk Factors [Encuesta Nacional de Factores de Riesgo] conducted in Argentina in 2009. We show that the survey provides important information for understanding inequalities in access to health services. However, the way in which the barriers to access to the health system are measured may underreport the problem by only capturing extreme situations.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina.
authors.forename: Matías Salvador
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ballesteros
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina.
authors.forename: Betina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Freidin
mesh_terms: D001118:Argentina; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000379:methods*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Health Services Accessibility; Social Inequity; Health Care Surveys; Indicators; Argentina