Disability and Health Services: The Case of Women in Spain

Abstract

Background: For as long as data have been collected, women with disabilities have had worse health conditions than other women. Moreover, women with disabilities make more use of healthcare services than women without disabilities. Objective: The main aim of this study is to analyze the impact of various factors on the use of healthcare services by this group of women at risk of exclusion. Methods: Binary logistic regression models are used to examine seven indicators of the use of healthcare services and evaluate the influence of factors, such as age and emotional and personal support. To that end, the analysis uses data from the most recent Spanish National Health Survey (SNHS, 2017) published by the Spanish Statistical Office (INE). Results: Studies on the use of healthcare services have focused on the influence of social status on economic factors and do not include explanatory variables relating to the social and family environment of women with disabilities. Therefore, this study includes variables representing home care services and emotional and personal support to capture the impact of human relationships and the home care environment on health in such a way that its importance and its effect on the use of health services can be determined, distinguishing between the general population and the female population with disabilities. Conclusion: The data in this study revealed important differences in the use of healthcare services by women with disabilities compared to other women and the population in general, as mentioned in the table and the results indicated above. It is essential that healthcare workers and policymakers identify and account for the different requirements of women with disabilities.