RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To describe the possible association between demographic, social and economic characteristics of health areas in the autonomous community of Madrid and utilization of public family practice facilities. METHODS: An ecological study was carried out using health areas as the unit of analysis. The information sources were official data on population statistics and the reports of the National Institute of Health for 1996 and 2001. Indicators were income, mean household size, unemployment rate, the percentage of housewives, and the percentage of individuals with university education. The association between these indicators and utilization of public family practice facilities was analyzed using the Spearman correlation coefficient. A multivariate linear regression model was also fitted. RESULTS: The consultation rate in public family practice facilities in Madrid was directly associated with the percentage of housewives (r = 0.44), income (r = -0,697), and the percentage of individuals with university education (r = -0.72). In the multivariate linear regression model, 77% of the varian-ce in utilization was explained by income (48%), the percentage of housewives (19%), and average household size (9%). CONCLUSIONS: The results show the relationship between social and economic factors and utilization of public family practice facilities and suggest the advisability of including demographic and socioeconomic factors in primary care planning.