Health Care Services Utilization of Persons with Direct, Indirect and without Migration Background in Germany: A Longitudinal Study Based on the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP)

Thomas Grochtdreis, Hans-Helmut König and Judith Dams
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Thomas Grochtdreis: Hamburg Center for Health Economics, Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
Hans-Helmut König: Hamburg Center for Health Economics, Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
Judith Dams: Hamburg Center for Health Economics, Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-14

Abstract: There is ambiguous evidence with regard to the inequalities in health care services utilization (HCSU) among migrants and non-migrants in Germany. The aim of this study was to analyze the utilization of doctors and hospitalization of persons with direct and indirect migration background as well as those without in Germany. This study was based on data of the German Socio-Economic Panel using the adult sample of the years 2013 to 2019. HCSU was measured by self-reported utilization of doctors and hospitalization. Associations between HCSU and migration background were examined using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression and zero-truncated multilevel mixed-effects generalized linear models. The odds ratios of utilization of doctors and hospitalization for persons with direct migration background compared with persons without migration background were 0.73 ( p < 0.001) and 0.79 ( p = 0.002), respectively. A direct migration background was associated with a 6% lower number of doctoral visits within three months compared with no migration background ( p = 0.023). Persons with direct migration background still have a lower HCSU than persons without migration background in Germany. Access to health care needs to be ensured and health policy-makers are called upon to keep focus on the issue of inequalities in HCSU between migrants and non-migrants in Germany.

Keywords: surveys and questionnaires; health care; utilization; migrant; Germany (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:21:p:11640-:d:673187

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