Primary care and receipt of preventive services

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Preventive Medicine
• Primary Care

Background:

• Preventive care services are vital for women's health.
• Access to care can be influenced by various factors including insurance and primary care.
• Understanding these associations is crucial for improving health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if health insurance, a regular place of care, and optimal primary care are independently linked to receiving preventive care services among women.
• To identify the most significant factors associated with preventive care utilization.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted.
• A probability-based sample of 3,846 English and Spanish-speaking women aged 18-64 in urban California participated.
• Data collected included demographics, insurance status, need for care, regular place of care, and receipt of specific preventive services (blood pressure screening, clinical breast exams, mammograms, Pap smears).

Main Results:

• A regular place of care was the strongest independent predictor of receiving preventive care services (p < .0001).
• Health insurance (p < .001) and optimal primary care (p < .01) were also significantly associated with increased likelihood of receiving preventive services.
• Multivariate analyses controlled for demographic and financial factors.

Conclusions:

• A regular source of care is the most critical factor for women receiving preventive services.
• Optimal primary care, delivered at a regular place of care, further enhances the utilization of preventive services.
• These findings underscore the importance of establishing and maintaining a regular healthcare provider for women's preventive health.