Many studies examining health service utilization by older adults involve secondary analyses of existing data sources and rely on behavioral model of health services utilization. Suggests that severe shortcomings in breadth and depth of available data, and numbers of intervals at which data have been recorded, limit understanding of health…

Notes that health maintenance organizations (HMOs) provide large volume of health care services to older Americans. Contends that HMOs must reexamine general practice of equating utilization of services with health care need and collect better population-based information, including measures of health status. Discusses data elements widely…

Offers mental health administrators indicators for directing scarce resources to priority populations, including density, service utilization rate, and service intensity. Provides examples of the importance of using multiple indicators in community mental health center administrative decision-making. (Author/ABB)

This paper describes the effect of a person's social network upon his or her use of health services. A "social network" consists of complex strands of affiliations radiating from an individual to his/her close associates (kin and friends) and then to the larger society beyond. Health services include hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices, and…

Multiple regression and path analyses of 29 demographic, social, and psychological variables were carried out to determine those variables that influenced the use of community-based mental health services by the Hispanic elderly. The variables were classified using the Andersen and Newman framework which conceptualizes the individual's demand for…

Historical processes, cultural values and socioeconomic conditions that contribute to the current status of Hispanic families are examined in this book. The eight papers in the collection focus on selected aspects of the diverse roles and impacts of the family in Hispanic communities and explore the implications of these roles and impact for…