Health Care Access and COVID-19 Vaccination in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.
Med Care
; 62(6): 380-387, 2024 Jun 01.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38728678
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Although federal legislation made COVID-19 vaccines free, inequities in access to medical care may affect vaccine uptake.OBJECTIVE:
To assess whether health care access was associated with uptake and timeliness of COVID-19 vaccination in the United States.DESIGN:
A cross-sectional study.SETTING:
2021 National Health Interview Survey (Q2-Q4).SUBJECTS:
In all, 21,532 adults aged≥18 were included in the study.MEASURES:
Exposures included 4 metrics of health care access health insurance, having an established place for medical care, having a physician visit within the past year, and medical care affordability. Outcomes included receipt of 1 or more COVID-19 vaccines and receipt of a first vaccine within 6 months of vaccine availability. We examined the association between each health care access metric and outcome using logistic regression, unadjusted and adjusted for demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic covariates.RESULTS:
In unadjusted analyses, each metric of health care access was associated with the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination and (among those vaccinated) early vaccination. In adjusted analyses, having health coverage (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.60; 95% CI 1.39, 1.84), a usual place of care (AOR 1.58; 95% CI 1.42, 1.75), and a doctor visit within the past year (AOR 1.45, 95% CI 1.31, 1.62) remained associated with higher rates of COVID-19 vaccination. Only having a usual place of care was associated with early vaccine uptake in adjusted analyses.LIMITATIONS:
Receipt of COVID-19 vaccination was self-reported.CONCLUSIONS:
Several metrics of health care access are associated with the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. Policies that achieve universal coverage, and facilitate long-term relationships with trusted providers, may be an important component of pandemic responses.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Vacunas contra la COVID-19
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COVID-19
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Accesibilidad a los Servicios de Salud
Límite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Med Care
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article