Demographic Predictors of Eye Care Utilization among Women

• Published in: Medical care 2000-06, Vol.38 (6), p.638-646
• Main Authors: Schaumberg, Debra A., Christen, William G., Glynn, Robert J., Buring, Julie E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Age Factors; Aged; Blindness; Cataracts; Continental Population Groups; Demography; Doctoral degrees; Educational Status; Eyes; Female; Humans; Likelihood Functions; Logistic Models; Marital Status; Middle Aged; Modeling; Occupations; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Patient assessment; Predictive Value of Tests; Residence Characteristics - statistics & numerical data; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States; Vision Screening - statistics & numerical data; Women - psychology; Womens health
• ISSN: 0025-7079; 1537-1948
• DOI: 10.1097/00005650-200006000-00005

Background. Visual impairment may be preventable or treatable with timely intervention. Differences in the use of eye care services may play a role in fostering the racial and socioeconomic gap in the burden of visual impairment in the United States. Objective. The objective of this study was to examine the frequency of eye examinations in women and how this varies with age, race, marital status, geographic region, profession, education, and income. Subjects and methods. We used logistic regression models to examine data obtained by mailed questionnaires from 39,876 female health professionals participating in the Women's Health Study. Results. Most women (83%) had an eye examination within the past 2 years. The likelihood of having an eye examination in the past 2 years increased with age (odds ratio [OR] = 2.59 for age ≥75 years versus those