Original scientific paper

Use of Preventive Health Care Services among Unemployed in Croatia

Luka Vončina ; Department of Social Medicine and Organization of Healt Care, Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, Zagreb University School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Ivan Pristaš ; Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Miroslav Mastilica ; Department of Sociology and Health Economics, Andrija Štampar, Zagreb, Croatia
Ozren Polašek ; Department of Medical Statistics, Epidemology and medical informatics, Andrija Štampar, Zagreb, Croatia
Zvonko Šošić ; Department of Social Medicine and Organization of Healt Care, Andrija Štampar School of Public Health, Zagreb University School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia
Ranko Stevanović ; Croatian National Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Aim To analyze the association between unemployment and the
use of preventive health care services in Croatia.
Methods Data on the use of preventive health care services and employment
status were taken from the 2003 Croatia Adult Health
Survey. A multistage stratified sample design was used to define a
representative sample (n = 9070 individuals) of the Croatian general
adult population. Binary logistic regression was used for analysis.
Odds ratios were estimated for the association between employment
status and preventive health care services, controlling for age,
sex, region, marital status, level of education, occupation, and distance
from general practitioner (GP) facilities.
Results Our sample comprised 1356 men and 1932 women. Out
of them, 382 men (28.2%) and 472 women (24.4%) were unemployed.
Unemployment was negatively associated with the use of
some preventive health care services in the year before the study
among healthy individuals (regular blood pressure control odds ratio
[OR], 0.738, 95% CI, 0.576-0.945; blood glucose control OR,
0.751, 95% CI, 0.565-0.999; attending general preventive examinations
OR, 0.563, 95% CI, 0.410-0.772) as well as among individuals
who reported cardiovascular and/or metabolic diseases (attending
general preventive examinations OR, 0.661, 95% CI, 0.456-0.959;
receiving doctor’s advice for food habit change and influenza immunizations
OR, 0.627, 95% CI, 0.424-0.928).
Conclusion Both the unemployed who had cardiovascular and
metabolic diseases and those who did not, used less preventive
health services than respective subgroups of the employed. In order
to achieve a more equitable distribution of preventive health care
services, the Croatian health care system should provide additional
attention to the unemployed; for instance by developing a program
of preventive health examinations targeting this vulnerable population.

Keywords

Unemployed; medical care

Hrčak ID:

20931

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/20931

Publication date:

15.10.2007.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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