Back to Search
Start Over
Social networks and the probability of having a regular family doctor.
- Source :
-
Social Science & Medicine . Aug2014, Vol. 115, p21-28. 8p. - Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- Social supports have been shown to affect health in a variety of ways. This paper explores a hitherto ignored avenue linking social supports to health, namely through their influence on having a regular family doctor. We examine the role played by social supports in helping to explain why a significant portion of the Canadian population does not have a regular family doctor even though primary care is fully covered by the public insurer and when having a regular physician is associated with better care and with access to specialists. Five Canadian Community Health Surveys spanning 2001 to 2010 (n = 13,872 to n = 30,814) are employed, containing information on three measures of social support: sense of belonging to the local community, how often an individual has someone to confide in, and number of close friends and relatives. We find evidence of a positive link between social supports, especially sense of belonging, and having a regular doctor. Our results suggest that the benefits associated with policies geared towards community development and strengthening neighborhoods may also include facilitating access to primary-care physicians and, importantly, improving the matching of patients with regular family doctors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 02779536
- Volume :
- 115
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Social Science & Medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 96974180
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.05.057