Formal home care utilization patterns by rural-urban community residence

We examined formal home care utilization among civilian adults across metro and nonmetro residential categories before and after adjustment for predisposing, enabling, and need variables.

Two years of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) were combined to produce a nationally representative sample of adults who resided in the community for a calendar year. We established 6 rural-urban categories based upon Urban Influence Codes and examined 2 dependent variables: (a) likelihood of using any formal home care and (b) number of provider days received by users. The Area Resource File provided county-level information. Logistic and negative binomial regression analyses were employed, with adjustments for the MEPS complex sampling design and the combined years.

Under controls for predisposing, enabling, and need variables, differences in likelihood of any formal home care use disappear, but differences in number of provider days received by users emerged, with fewer provider days in remote areas than in metro and several other nonmetro types.

It is important to fully account for predisposing, enabling, and need factors when assessing rural and urban home care utilization patterns. The limited provider days in remote counties under controls suggest a possible access problem for adults in these areas.