Factors associated with the evaluation of quality of primary health care by older adults living in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2010

Abstract

Objective: to analyze factors associated with the perception of quality of primary health care (PHC) services by older adults. Methods: this was a cross-sectional survey with 893 older adults aged 60 years and over living in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; the study’s outcomes were the indicators of the essential attributes of PHC, while explanatory variables included sociodemographic conditions, use of health services and health conditions; Poisson regression with robust variance was used. Results: older adults aged 80 years and over, women and those with higher education levels gave better evaluations for access and longitudinality, while evaluation was worst among those who reported greater use of health services and chronic health conditions, especially for the PHC attributes of coordination of care and family and community orientation. Conclusion: poorer health conditions and higher use of services are associated with a more negative perception of PHC attributes among the elderly.