Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111758

Usha Sambamoorthi, PhD¹, Carol A. Boyer, PhD², Dorathy Gaboda, PhD³, and Joel Cantor, ScD³. (1) Division of Health Systems and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, 11 Bartram Road, Englishtown, NJ 07726, 732-972-6232, sambamus@rwja.umdnj.edu, (2) Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University, 30 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1293, (3) Center for State Health Policy, Rutgers University, 317 George Street, Suite 400, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-2008

OBJECTIVE: This paper examines the relationship between psychiatric symptomatology and the receipt of age-appropriate preventive services among individuals aged 50 years or older, controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, access to health care, contact with health care system and health status differences.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, statewide representative data from the 2001 New Jersey Family Health Study (NJFHS) were used. The outcome variables were seven preventive services and proportion of received services to total recommended services. Bivariate group differences were tested by chi-square tests and multivariate statistical techniques included ordered probit and Poisson regressions.

POPULATION STUDIED: Study sample consisted of 1,582 adults aged 50 years and older and living in the community in 2001.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Nearly one fifth of the study sample reported psychiatric symptoms or need for treatment. Overall, only a minority of women (14%) and men (26%) reported receiving all of the recommended preventive services. A history of psychiatric symptoms or need for treatment was associated with receipt of more preventive services. even after controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, health care access and health status characteristics. In addition, those with psychiatric symptoms had greater number of physician visits.

CONCLUSIONS: Higher rates of preventive services use among individuals with psychiatric symptoms could be due to greater linkage to the health care treatment system. However, use of some clinical preventive services remained below the Healthy 2000 goals.

IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY, DELIVERY OR PRACTICE: These results suggest opportunities for improving preventive care for certain services.

Learning Objectives:

• The learner will (a) learn about age-appropriate recommended clinical preventive services for older adults, (b) assess the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms and mental illness in older adults in New Jersey and (c) evaluate the impact of psychiatric symptoms on receipt of age appropriate clinical preventive services.

Keywords: Prevention, Mental Illness

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.