BACKGROUND Surveys among the general population are an important method for collecting epidemiological data on health and utilization of health care in that population. Selective non-response may affect the validity of these data. This study examines the impact of response bias on estimates of health care utilization and on risk estimates for utilization in relation to demographic and socioecon...

OBJECTIVE To analyze the relationship between primary health care utilization and extended health insurance coverage under the Seguro Popular (SP) among Mexican indigenous people. METHODOLOGY A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Mexican National Nutrition Survey 2012 (n = 194,758). Quasi-experimental matching methods and nonlinear regression probit models were used to ...

BACKGROUND To assess the inequity in seeking needed outpatient services in Iran and to investigate its influential factors. METHOD The data were taken from a nation-wide Iranian health survey conducted in 2003. This study is based on individuals aged 15 years and over who had mentioned their need to seek outpatient care within two weeks prior to the day of the interview. The outcome was seeki...

Changes in the American military since the end of military conscription, as well as the increasing number of service-connected disabilities, suggest the need for increased consideration of the effects of health policies when assessing the impact of military service on young Americans' life course. This study analyzes data from the most recent National Survey of Veterans to investigate the healt...

OBJECTIVE This report describes changes in the use of voluntary workers in nursing homes between 1985 and 1999. Statistics are presented on selected characteristics of nursing homes using voluntary workers and the services they perform. Factors that may contribute to the increased use of voluntary workers are also discussed. METHODS The data presented in this report were collected from the 19...

Untreated opiate use is correlated with major social harms and costs in Canada. While methadone treatment has existed in Canada since the 1960s, there is little specific Canadian research on its effects. This paper reports on the one-year follow-up results of a Toronto cohort study of opiate users (N = 114) who were not in treatment at baseline. Sixty-nine people were recruited for re-interview...

OBJECTIVE To explore and describe inequalities in health and use of health care as revealed by self-report in 12 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. METHODS A descriptive and exploratory study was performed based on the responses to questions on health and health care utilization that were included in general purpose household surveys. Inequalities are described by quintile of house...

BACKGROUND The incidence of leptospirosis, a neglected zoonotic disease, is uncertain in Tanzania and much of sub-Saharan Africa, resulting in scarce data on which to prioritize resources for public health interventions and disease control. In this study, we estimate the incidence of leptospirosis in two districts in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We conduc...

BACKGROUND The statistical analysis of health care cost data is often problematic because these data are usually non-negative, right-skewed and have excess zeros for non-users. This prevents the use of linear models based on the Gaussian or Gamma distribution. A common way to counter this is the use of Two-part or Tobit models, which makes interpretation of the results more difficult. In this s...