Citation
Rutland, Sarah & Baker, Elizabeth H. (2018). Beyond access: Predictors of unmet need for health care from adolescence to young adulthood. 2018 Add Health Users Conference. Bethesda, MD.Abstract
Objective: To assess the trends and predictors of unmet need (UN) for health care from adolescence to young adulthood. Hypotheses: 1) The likelihood of UN will increase over time as adolescents transition into adulthood 2) Racial/ethnic minorities will be more likely than whites to have UN at baseline and later waves, net of controls. Methods: Using data from Waves I-IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult health (Add Health) I will examine trends of unmet need over time. The analytical strategy will encompass descriptive statistics, bivariate statistics, and multivariate regression models. The method for regression models will be General Estimation Equations (GEE) and/or General Linear Mixed Models (GLMM). Controls may include gender, child of immigrant, insurance status, adolescent SES (mother's education, mother's employment status, household income at Wave I), smoking habits, drinking habits, depressive symptomatology, respondent ever attends college, respondent ever marries, respondent ever has children, and self-rated health. Priority Populations Studied: The study focuses on people transitioning from adolescence, starting as early as age 12, to young adulthood, continuing into age 34. Black, white, and Hispanic populations specifically will be examined. Sensitivity analyses will inform if other racial/ethnic populations can be retained in the larger analyses. Expected Results: This project seeks to identify trends and predictors of unmet need for health care in an understudied population at a pivotal point in the life course. Conclusion: Pending results of this study I will be able to conclude the trends and predicting factors of unmet need over time from adolescence to young adulthood in Waves I-IV in the Add Health study. Identifying these trends and predictors for unmet need can inform policy and support strategies for public health interventions for a population that can be difficult to reach and assist.Reference Type
Conference proceedingBook Title
2018 Add Health Users ConferenceAuthor(s)
Rutland, SarahBaker, Elizabeth H.