S A Reijneveld1, K Stronks. 1. TNO Prevention and Health, Department of Public Health, Leiden, The Netherlands. SA.Reijneveld@pg.tno.nl
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic differences in health and in use of health care are well known. Most data on socioeconomic differences in health care utilization are based on retrospective self-report in community surveys, but the evidence on the validity of self-reported utilization of health care across socioeconomic groups is limited. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of self-reported utilization of health care across socioeconomic groups in the general population. METHODS: We compared the concordance of self-reported and registered hospitalization (one year, n = 1277), and utilization of physiotherapy (one year, n = 1302) and use of prescription drugs (3 months, n = 899), by socioeconomic group (educational level, income, occupational status). Data came from a face-to-face health interview survey in Amsterdam and a health insurance register, and were limited to native Dutch and lower and middle income groups. RESULTS: Concordance between reported and registered utilization was generally good to excellent; kappas (agreement adjusted for chance agreement) and percentage accurately reporting ranged from 0.60 and 80% (drugs) to 0.80 and 96% (hospitalization). They differed little, and without statistical significance, between people of low socioeconomic status and others. Assessment of socioeconomic groups in more detail yields somewhat more variation, but no systematic trend in concordance by higher socioeconomic status. CONCLUSION: Self-report offers a reasonably valid estimate of differences in utilization of health care between socioeconomic groups in the general population, at least for lower and middle income groups.
BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic differences in health and in use of health care are well known. Most data on socioeconomic differences in health care utilization are based on retrospective self-report in community surveys, but the evidence on the validity of self-reported utilization of health care across socioeconomic groups is limited. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of self-reported utilization of health care across socioeconomic groups in the general population. METHODS: We compared the concordance of self-reported and registered hospitalization (one year, n = 1277), and utilization of physiotherapy (one year, n = 1302) and use of prescription drugs (3 months, n = 899), by socioeconomic group (educational level, income, occupational status). Data came from a face-to-face health interview survey in Amsterdam and a health insurance register, and were limited to native Dutch and lower and middle income groups. RESULTS: Concordance between reported and registered utilization was generally good to excellent; kappas (agreement adjusted for chance agreement) and percentage accurately reporting ranged from 0.60 and 80% (drugs) to 0.80 and 96% (hospitalization). They differed little, and without statistical significance, between people of low socioeconomic status and others. Assessment of socioeconomic groups in more detail yields somewhat more variation, but no systematic trend in concordance by higher socioeconomic status. CONCLUSION: Self-report offers a reasonably valid estimate of differences in utilization of health care between socioeconomic groups in the general population, at least for lower and middle income groups.
Authors: Johan Ormel; Maria Petukhova; Somnath Chatterji; Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola; Jordi Alonso; Matthias C Angermeyer; Evelyn J Bromet; Huibert Burger; Koen Demyttenaere; Giovanni de Girolamo; Josep Maria Haro; Irving Hwang; Elie Karam; Norito Kawakami; Jean Pierre Lépine; María Elena Medina-Mora; José Posada-Villa; Nancy Sampson; Kate Scott; T Bedirhan Ustün; Michael Von Korff; David R Williams; Mingyuan Zhang; Ronald C Kessler Journal: Br J Psychiatry Date: 2008-05 Impact factor: 9.319
Authors: Joan M O'Brien; Rebecca J Salowe; Raymond Fertig; Julia Salinas; Maxwell Pistilli; Prithvi S Sankar; Eydie Miller-Ellis; Amanda Lehman; Windell H A Murphy; Melissa Homsher; Katelyn Gordon; Gui-Shuang Ying Journal: Am J Ophthalmol Date: 2018-03-17 Impact factor: 5.258