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Patterns of primary care service use by families with young children
Claire Wilson1, Rhona Hogg, Marion Henderson
1Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Wolfson Medical School Building, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ.
Insights
Understanding factors influencing primary care use in families with young children is key for equitable service delivery. Socio-demographic factors significantly predict service use, varying between health visitors and family doctors.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Services Research
- Child Development
Background:
- UK early years policy advocates for tailored family support.
- Understanding health service use determinants is crucial for equitable planning.
- Focus on primary care access for families with preschool children.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate determinants of primary care service utilization.
- Analyze service use in families with children aged 0-1 and 2-3 years.
- Examine patterns of family doctor and health visitor engagement.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Growing Up in Scotland study.
- Analyzed two population cohorts: children aged 0-1 and 2-3 years.
- Assessed service use for child health and behavior information.
Main Results:
- Multivariate analysis identified significant socio-demographic predictors of service use.
- Determinants of service use differed between health visitors and family doctors.
- Highlighted variations in primary care engagement based on child's age.
Conclusions:
- Provides insight into health service use patterns for families with young children.
- Some findings align with existing research, while others warrant further investigation.
- Emphasizes the need for targeted and equitable primary care service delivery.
Background:
In the UK, early years policy emphasizes that all families should have access to support tailored to their individual needs. Knowledge of the determinants of health service use should help to inform rational and equitable planning and delivery of services to parents.
Objectives:
We seek to investigate the determinants of primary care service use in families with preschool children.
Methods:
Determinants of service use in two population cohorts (families with children aged 0-1 and 2-3 years) from the Growing Up in Scotland study are presented. Services related to use of the family doctor or health visitor for information on the child's health or behaviour in the last year.
Results:
A range of socio-demographic determinants were significant predictors of service use on multivariate analysis. Determinants of service use differed between the health visitor and family doctor.
Conclusions:
The analysis provides an insight into the determinants and patterns of health service use by families with young children at two stages of development. While some of our findings are expected or supported by previous research, others highlight areas that require further investigation.
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