Disability, health status, and utilization of health services

Change in the patterns of utilization of services is an important indicator of the influence of policies and programs concerning health care. This paper focuses on these patterns as revealed in a survey of a probability sample of the U.S. adult population conducted in 1972. The analysis sought to assess the influence of a number of health dimensions, as well as economic and sociodemographic characteristics, on utilization. Coverage through insurance or other payment plants constituted one of the independent factors in the analysis. The dimensions of health included indicators of disabilities in work and independent living, limitations in physical and emotional performance, and the existence and severity of pathology and impairment. A discriminant analysis was employed to assess the relative importance of these variables in their influence upon the utilization of services. Finally, the paper presents information about unmet needs for care.