Women and the Use of Health Services

The use differential of health services by men and women is empirically explored in detail. The data set utilized is from a 1977 National Medical Care Expenditure Survey. Three issues are addressed: 1. whether women are more likely than men to exhibit characteristics known to be associated with the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American economic review 1983-05, Vol.73 (2), p.128-133
Main Authors: Wilensky, Gail R., Cafferata, Gail Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chronic diseases
Demand
Diabetes
Diseases
Doctor visits
Economic theory
Female
Health administration
Health services
Health Services Needs and Demand - economics
Health Services Research - economics
Health status
Humans
Illnesses
Male
Men
Money prices
Patient care
Personal Health Services - utilization
Physicians
Regression Analysis
Statistical analysis
United States
Users
Women
Women and Health
Womens health services
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Summary:The use differential of health services by men and women is empirically explored in detail. The data set utilized is from a 1977 National Medical Care Expenditure Survey. Three issues are addressed: 1. whether women are more likely than men to exhibit characteristics known to be associated with the use of health services and whether they exhibit them at different levels, 2. whether women are more sensitive or responsive to the presence or absence of these factors than men, and 3. whether these effects are similar when health services are used for specific illnesses. Results include: 1. Women report more acute and chronic conditions. 2. Women respond somewhat differently to factors influencing use, but the differences are generally not large. 3. For illness-specific medical visits, men and women respond more similarly than for all visits. 4. Physician initiation of visits does not appear to be a significant factor in explaining differences in use patterns. 5. Women respond more to illness, that is, they have more disability days per acute condition.
ISSN:0002-8282
1944-7981