HEALTH AND COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICE USE - DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ELDERLY AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND WHITES

Responses from personal interviews with a random sample of 2,178 adult s aged 60 years and older living in their homes in eastern North Carol ina were used to examine the effects of predisposing, enabling, and ne ed indicators on differences in the use of health and community-based services separately for African American and White elders. Health serv ices include primary Care visits and visits to specialists. Community- based services were categorized into personal care services and financ ial assistance. Logistic regression analyses were done in an attempt t o explain why African American elders are more likely than are Whites to use both kinds of community-based services, are less likely than ar e Whites to use specialty care, and whether there are differences by r ace in the use of primary care physicians. Results indicate that the o dds of using financial assistance and medical care vary by race accord ing to selected predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics. Ther e is little difference by race, however, in the use of financial assis tance services. The implications of the findings are discussed.