Research Briefs

Edelstein, B.L., Manski, R.J., and Moeller, J.F. (2000). "Pediatric dental visits during 1996: An analysis of the Federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey." Pediatric Dentistry 22(1), pp. 17-20.

National data are available on dental health status and associated disparities by income and race, but data are scant on use of dental services by children. John F. Moeller, Ph.D., of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Center for Cost and Financing Studies and his colleagues analyzed data from the Agency's 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to determine the percentage of children who made a dental visit and the number of visits made by children according to age, sex, ethnic/racial background, family income, and parental education. They found that 43 percent of children up to the age of 18 years of age made at least one visit to the dentist in 1996. Among children who saw a dentist, the average number of visits during 1996 was 2.7. Low income, low education, and minority race were associated with lower odds of visiting the dentist at all and a lower number of visits per child. Children under 6 years of age had less than half the dental visit rate of older children.

Article reprints (AHRQ Publication No. 00-R024) are available from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse.

Stein, J.A., Andersen, R.M., Koegel, P. and Gelberg, L. (2000). "Predicting health services utilization among homeless adults: A prospective analysis." (AHRQ grant HS06696). Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 11(2), pp. 212-229.

Research on the health of homeless people has often focused on mental illness and substance abuse. However, homeless people experience many other health problems and encounter major difficulties in accessing care. This study expands a health services utilization model to predict use of health services among a community-based sample of 363 homeless adults. Poor physical health, more barriers to care, drug use, black race, less community support, and less education predicted hospitalization. Poor health, female sex, having a regular source of care, community support, drug use, and fewer alcohol problems predicted an office visit. Outpatient visits for acute conditions provide an opportunity for generally neglected preventive services and health screenings in this group of patients. The researchers recommend development of multiservice, health-related programs for the homeless that include drug and alcohol treatment.

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Current as of June 2000
AHRQ Publication No. 00-0043

Internet Citation:

Research Activities newsletter. June 2000, No. 238. AHRQ Publication No. 00-0043. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/jun00/