Kuthy R A, Odom J G, Salsberry P J, Nickel J L, Polivka B J
Ohio State University College of Dentistry, Columbus 43210-1241, USA.
J Public Health Dent. 1998 Winter;58(1):44-50. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-7325.1998.tb02989.x.
This study examines the influence of predisposing, enabling, and need variables on whether low-income mothers sought dental care during the past year. This report is a substudy of mothers and children on their self-reported health status, utilization, access, and satisfaction with health care in general.
A convenience sample of 502 mothers and youngest child younger than 6 years old was administered a face-to-face questionnaire in four Ohio counties. Information was collected at county human services offices and WIC clinics between November 1995 and July 1996. Using whether or not the mother sought dental care as the dependent variable, logistic regression models were created for the variables within the predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics separately and together.
Fewer than one-half of the mothers sought dental care during the past year. Variables associated with the predisposing characteristic explained little about who sought care. Those mothers who have Medicaid coverage are 2.7 times more likely to have a dental visit than those without insurance. Moreover, those mothers who perceive any dental need are several times less likely to have received dental care than those who have no perceived need.
Even among a somewhat homogeneous population of low-income women, source of payment for dental services and perceived need for dental care are discriminating variables in determining who seeks dental care.
本研究探讨了易患因素、促成因素和需求变量对低收入母亲在过去一年中是否寻求牙科护理的影响。本报告是关于母亲和儿童自我报告的健康状况、医疗服务利用情况、可及性以及总体医疗满意度的子研究。
在俄亥俄州的四个县，对502名母亲及其6岁以下的最小孩子组成的便利样本进行了面对面问卷调查。1995年11月至1996年7月期间，在县公共服务办公室和妇女、婴儿与儿童营养补充计划（WIC）诊所收集了相关信息。以母亲是否寻求牙科护理作为因变量，分别针对易患因素、促成因素和需求特征中的变量创建了逻辑回归模型，并将这些变量合并起来进行分析。
在过去一年中，寻求牙科护理的母亲不到一半。与易患因素相关的变量对谁寻求护理的解释力很小。有医疗补助覆盖的母亲进行牙科就诊的可能性是没有保险的母亲的2.7倍。此外，那些认为有任何牙科需求的母亲接受牙科护理的可能性比那些认为没有需求的母亲低几倍。
即使在低收入女性这一相对同质的人群中，牙科服务的支付来源和对牙科护理的感知需求也是决定谁会寻求牙科护理的区分变量。
