THE IMPORTANCE OF SENSE OF COMMUNITY ON PEOPLES PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR HEALTH-CARE EXPERIENCES

OBJECTIVES. The authors study the relationship between people's sense of community and problems they experience with the health-care system, specifically problems related to cost, access, provider choice, and s atisfaction. METHODS. Data from a 1993 Florida poll (n = 1202) was use d to conduct a multinomial legit analysis to estimate people's sense o f community as a function of 13 characteristics and perceptions of com munity. Legit analysis was used to estimate the relationship between p eople's sense of community and their health-care experiences, controll ing for other demographic influences, including insurance coverage and self-reported health status. RESULTS. Lower sense of community was si gnificantly associated with higher levels of choice, cost, and satisfa ction problems in people's interactions with the health-care sector. C ONCLUSIONS. Community quality needs to be considered in efforts to imp rove the functional capabilities of health-care institutions.