Health for all? Patterns and predictors of allied health service use in Australia

Abstract

Objective. To examine patterns and predictors of allied health service use among the Australian population. Methods. Data from the 2007–08 longitudinal National Health Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in Australia were used to examine differences in use of allied health services among the population. The survey is based on 15 779 adult respondents. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to model the probability of visiting an allied health service contingent on multiple factors of interest. Results. Men, less educated people and people from non-English speaking backgrounds were low users compared with other groups. Interestingly, people with type 2 diabetes were substantially higher users compared with people with other chronic diseases, or no reported chronic disease, and ancillary health insurance had a strong positive effect on use. Discussion. Further investigation of the social and economic circumstances surrounding allied health service use is required to determine areas of under use or unmet need. High use among people with diabetes might indicate the impact of policyincentivesto enhance use. Yet, whether all thosein need are ableto access servicesis unknown. Furtherinvestigation of use among groups with different health needs and by type of financing will enhance policy.