Health care services: recent trends - ARCHIVED

In 1998/99, Canadians with low incomes were more likely than those with higher incomes to be heavy users of physician services, to visit emergency departments, to be admitted to hospital, to take multiple medications, and to require home care services.

Despite an increase in coverage in most provinces for prescription drug and dental insurance, significant differences in use of these services remain. Youth, older adults and Canadians with low incomes are less likely to have insurance coverage for dental care and prescription drugs.

The percentage of Canadians who said they had health care needs that were not met increased from 4% in 1994/95 (1.1 million people) to 6% in 1998/99 (1.5 million people).

The likelihood of going to hospital increases with age. It also increases with having a lower income, having less than a secondary level of education, believing oneself to be in poor health, and being a smoker, physically inactive, and overweight.

The risk of hospitalization is similar for both female smokers and male smokers. This represents an important change from past studies, which showed smaller relative risks of hospitalization for female smokers than for male smokers.