WOMENS HEALTH-CARE - FOR WHOM AND WHY

Differences are investigated between female practice populations of fe male general practitioners providing women's health care and of women and men general practitioners providing regular health care. Women's h ealth care in the Netherlands is provided in the general practice ''Al etta'' and is based on the following principles: (1) consideration of the patient's gender identity and gender roles; (2) consideration of t he patient's personal and social situation; (3) treating the patient r espectfully; (4) encouraging the patient to cope with health problems and stimulating self-responsibility; and (5) avoidance of medicalizati on. Data were derived from an extensive health interview with 253 wome n Aletta patients (15 years or older) about socio-demographic characte ristics, gender role, attitudes, somatic and mental health status, and medical consumption. The Aletta patients were also asked about their motives in choosing women's health care. Reference groups were compris ed of 391 and 628 women patients of women and men general practitioner s, respectively, providing regular health care. Logistic regression an alyses were performed to explain differences between the three groups. ''The Aletta patient'' can be characterized as a young, urban, single , highly educated, working, and childless woman, who deliberately choo ses women's health care. She is more androgynous than women of other d octors, less inclined to seek help with the GP, she suffers more from psychosomatic and psychosocial problems, and she has poorer mental hea lth. It results in a higher use of mental health care, and also of alt ernative health care. Women patients of women and men doctors providin g regular health care hardly differ between each other in the characte ristics described above. Health policy makers should take into conside ration that in the future possibly more women will prefer health care in which the ideas of women's health care are being applied. The integ ration of some important aspects of women's health care into regular h ealth care is recommended. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.