HEALTH SERVICE UTILIZATION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS.
Contributors: State University of New York at Buffalo.
Published: 1995
Number of pages: 283
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The literature reveals that even though adolescents report a high incidence of health problems, the extent to which they seek care is limited. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of selected Health Belief Model (HBM) variables which act as motivators or as barriers on health service utilization among college students.

The Health Belief Model (HBM), interpreted by Kirscht (1974) and Becker, et al. (1972), provided the framework for this study. A model was proposed to illustrate the direct influence of five independent variables (health dysfunctions, severity of problems, desire for health services, value of health, and powerlessness regarding health service barriers) on the dependent variable (utilization of health services). Six hypotheses were formulated to test the direct relationships in the model.

A convenience sample was comprised of 197 male and female students, ages 19-22, attending a University located in Western New York. A written, self-administered 99 item questionnaire, entitled Survey of College Student Health Care (SCSHC), was specifically designed and utilized for data collection. A major component of the research included extensive psychometric testing to establish reliability and validity of the SCSHC.

Hypothesis 1 was tested using regression analyses. Only one motivator variable, desire, was a significant contributor to health service utilization. Pearson correlation analyses of Hypotheses 2 through 6 supported only Hypothesis 5, that posited a positive relationship between desire and utilization. Further significant associations among the motivator and barrier variables were noted. The model was revised to incorporate the associations observed.

Recommendations include replication of the study to examine interactive relationships within the revised model. The contributions of this study to nursing science include: a proposed model suggesting relationships among/between motivator and barrier variables and utilization of health services; a valid and reliable instrument to measure health service utilization among college students; the identification of a dramatic lack of both desire for and utilization of health services for psycho/social health dysfunctions by college students. These findings suggest fertile areas for future research.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-07, Section: B, page: 3691.

Thesis (D.N.S.)--STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO, 1995.

School code: 0656.