Individual determinants of home-care nursing and housework assistance

The purpose of this study was to examine individual determinants of use of publicly funded home-care nursing and housework assistance by Canadians 18 years and older from 1994 to 1999. Andersen and Newman's Behavioural Model of Health Services Use guided the selection of variables, analyses, and interpretation of the findings. Descriptive, correlation, and multiple logistic regression analyses were completed in each of the first 3 cross-sectional cycles of Statistics Canada's National Population Health Surveys. The determinants of use of housework assistance were older age, female, living alone, lower income, activity restriction, needing help with housework, not hospitalized in the previous year, and having at least 1 chronic condition. The determinants for home nursing tended to be the opposite of those for housework assistance. Between 1994 and 1999, use of housework assistance appeared to decrease and use of nursing services appeared to remain relatively stable. The findings underscore the need to target these 2 discrete subgroups of home-care users and ensure that funding is directed at support services as well as nursing services.