The Effects of Race and Ethnicity on Use of Health Services by Older Americans

This study examined racial and ethnic differences in use of health services by white, African American, and Hispanic elderly. people. Using a national representative sample of elderly from the AHEAD study, we estimated a two-part model of health services utilization. We found that African American a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of social service research 1999-08, Vol.25 (4), p.15-42
Main Authors: Lum, Yat-Sang, Chang, Hong Jer, Ozawa, Martha N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging problems. Death
Ethnicity
health care services
Health Care Utilization
Hispanic Americans
Race
Racial Differences
seniors
Sociology
Sociology of the family. Age groups
United States of America
utilization
Whites
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Summary:This study examined racial and ethnic differences in use of health services by white, African American, and Hispanic elderly. people. Using a national representative sample of elderly from the AHEAD study, we estimated a two-part model of health services utilization. We found that African American and Hispanic elderly were more likely to make physician visits than white elderly. Among those who made physician visits, Hispanic elderly made more visits than white elderly. We also found that the effects of factors affecting use of health services varied by race and ethnicity. These results lead us to reject the homogeneity assumption made by many health services researchers.
ISSN:0148-8376
1540-7314
DOI:10.1300/J079v25n04_02