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The role of regional health policy for socioeconomic inequality in health services utilization
(2022)
Background
“J1” is a preventative routine examination in Germany recommended for adolescents at the age of 12-14 years. In contrast to the well-established U1-U9 examinations for younger children, with participation rates above 90%, the attendance of the J1 examination is approximately only 40%. The most frequent reason for not attending J1 is the unawareness of this examination. “Ticket to J1” is an intervention including an information leaflet introduced in Bavaria in 2017 to inform adolescents about J1. The aims of the present analysis are to investigate (1) if the regional policy was effective in increasing the attendance in J1, (2) if the effects vary by family socioeconomic status (SES), and (3) which meso-level characteristics of the healthcare system correlate with attendance rates in J1.
Methods
We used anonymised data of a large statutory health insurance in Germany for the timeframe of 2016-2018. To investigate the effect of the policy, a difference-in-differences design at the individual level was used. Assuming a parallel trend at the level of federal states, the likelihood of attendance in J1 of 13- and 14-year-olds was compared between Bavaria and other federal German states before and after policy introduction. All analyses were additionally stratified by SES.
Results
The introduction of “Ticket to J1” increased participation in J1 by 1% after controlling for all confounders. Furthermore, the effect was stronger for children from families with lower SES (an increase of 5%). Density of pediatricians was positively significantly correlated with participation in J1.
Discussion
Regional health policy intervention had a significant positive impact on attendance of J1 and appears to have the potential to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in healthcare utilization. Informing adolescents about J1 seems to increase the attendance, in particular for children from families with lower SES.
Einleitung Die J1 ist eine Vorsorgeuntersuchung, die für Kinder zwischen 12 und 14 Jahren empfohlen ist. Im Gegensatz zu den etablierten U1- bis U9-Untersuchungen für jüngere Kinder mit Teilnahmeraten über 90% liegt die Teilnahme bei der J1 bei etwa 40%. Ein Grund für die mangelnde Teilnahme an der J1 ist die geringe Bekanntheit bei Eltern und Kindern. Mehrere Bundesländer haben Einladungswesen eingeführt, um Jugendliche zur Teilnahme an der J1 zu motivieren. Die Einladung „Dein Ticket zur J1“ wurde Mitte 2017 in Bayern eingeführt. Das „Ticket“ ist ein Informationsflyer über die J1 in einer jugendgerechten Gestaltung. Die vorliegende Analyse untersuchte, ob die regionale Informationskampagne zu einer Steigerung der Teilnahme an der J1 geführt hat, ob die Effekte mit dem sozioökonomischen Status der Familie (SES) variieren und welche Meso-Ebene-Merkmale des Gesundheitssystems mit der J1-Teilnahme korrelieren.
Methoden Um die Wirkung der Intervention zu untersuchen, wurden bundesweite anonymisierte Routinedaten der Techniker Krankenkasse aus den Jahren 2016-2018 sowie ein Difference-in-Differences-Design auf individueller Ebene verwendet. Unter der Annahme eines parallelen Trends auf Bundesländerebene wurde die J1-Teilnahme von 13- und 14-Jährigen in Bayern mit anderen Bundesländern vor und nach der Intervention verglichen. Zusätzlich wurde die Analyse für die verschiedenen SES-Gruppen durchgeführt. Wir untersuchten auch, ob Faktoren auf Mesoebene des Gesundheitssystems mit der Teilnahme an der J1 korrelierten.
Ergebnisse Die Einführung von „Dein Ticket zur J1“ erhöhte die Teilnahme an der J1 um 1 %. Obwohl eine höhere Bildung und berufliche Stellung der Eltern positiv mit der J1-Teilnahme korrelierten, war der Effekt der Intervention bei Kindern aus Familien mit niedrigerem SES stärker (Anstieg um 5 %). Die Kinderarztdichte auf Kreisebene korrelierte zudem positiv mit der Teilnahme an der J1.
Schlussfolgerung Die Intervention hat das Potenzial, die sozioökonomische Ungleichheit bei der Inanspruchnahme von Gesundheitsleistungen zu verringern, da die Effekte für Kinder aus Familien mit niedrigerem SES stärker waren. Es bedarf jedoch weiterer Maßnahmen, um Jugendliche über die J1 und die damit verbundenen gesundheitlichen Vorteile zu informieren. Zukünftige Studien sollten untersuchen, von welchen weiteren Faktoren die Wirksamkeit der Intervention abhängt, wie z. B. die Art und Anzahl der Kommunikationskanäle.
Background: Besides macrolevel characteristics of a health care system, mesolevel access characteristics can exert influence on socioeconomic inequalities in healthcare use. These reflect access to healthcare, which is shaped on a smaller scale than the national level, by the institutions and establishments of a health system that individuals interact with on a regular basis. This scoping review maps the existing evidence about the influence of mesolevel access characteristics and socioeconomic position on healthcare use. Furthermore, it summarizes the evidence on the interaction between mesolevel access characteristics and socioeconomic inequalities in healthcare use.
Methods: We used the databases MEDLINE (PubMed), Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO and followed the 'Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR)' recommendations. The included quantitative studies used a measure of socioeconomic position, a mesolevel access characteristic, and a measure of individual healthcare utilisation. Studies published between 2000 and 2020 in high income countries were considered.
Results: Of the 9501 potentially eligible manuscripts, 158 studies were included after a two-stage screening process. The included studies contained a wide spectrum of outcomes and were thus summarised to the overarching categories: use of preventive services, use of curative services, and potentially avoidable service use. Exemplary outcomes were screening uptake, physician visits and avoidable hospitalisations. Access variables included healthcare system characteristics such as physician density or distance to physician. The effects of socioeconomic position on healthcare use as well as of mesolevel access characteristics were investigated by most studies. The results show that socioeconomic and access factors play a crucial role in healthcare use. However, the interaction between socioeconomic position and mesolevel access characteristics is addressed in only few studies.
Conclusions: Socioeconomic position and mesolevel access characteristics are important when examining variation in healthcare use. Additionally, studies provide initial evidence that moderation effects exist between the two factors, although research on this topic is sparse. Further research is needed to investigate whether adapting access characteristics at the mesolevel can reduce socioeconomic inequity in health care use.
Background: In Germany, various preventive services are offered to children and adolescents. These include regular standardized examinations (so called U/J examinations) and several vaccinations. Although strongly recommended, most of them are not mandatory. Our aim is to identify factors associated with the use of U/J examinations and vaccination against diphtheria, hepatitis B, Hib, pertussis, polio, and tetanus. While previous research has focused on sociodemographic factors, we also include socioeconomic, behavioral, and psychosocial factors.
Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 15,023 participants (aged 0-17 years) of the nationwide representative KiGGS Wave 2 Survey. Participation in U/J examinations was assessed using a questionnaire, filled out by participants and/or their parents. Information on vaccination status was drawn from the participants' vaccination booklets. To identify relevant determinants for the use of preventive examinations and vaccinations, unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models were employed with up to 16 different independent variables.
Results: Various independent variables showed an association with the use of preventive services. Higher socioeconomic status, absence of migration background, and lower household size were associated with significantly higher utilization of U examinations. Parents' marital status, area of residence, behavioral and psychosocial factors yielded insignificant results for most U/J examinations. Higher vaccination rates were found for children with no migration background, with residence in eastern Germany, lower household size, and with married parents.
Conclusion: This study attempted to depict the influence of sociodemographic, psychosocial, and behavioral factors on the use of several preventive services. Our results indicate that predominantly sociodemographic variables influence the use of preventive services. Further efforts should be made to investigate the interplay of different determinants of healthcare use in children and adolescents.