Predicting the utilization of child health programs / services by a cohort of Northern Ontario mothers and children

Abstract

The identification of individuals using health services, from a socio-demographic viewpoint, plays an important role in the effective planning and provision of health services. The purpose of the present study was to explore public health service utilization within a cohort of mothers of children six years of age and younger through the use of verified measures of primary healthcare utilization, such as characteristics of the child, mother, and household, in an attempt to predict public health or physician service use. Bivariate logistic regression was applied to data collected through the Northern Ontario Perinatal and Child Health Survey to examine the use of selected health services. The results of the analyses indicate that factors affecting an individual’s decision to use a health service differ according to the service. The age of the child, and location of the household (in a rural or urban setting) were common predictors of both the use of physician services and the majority of the selected public health services in this study. Utilization models for all health services encompassed by this study are presented, however further exploration of the reliability and validity of these models is warranted.