Table 1 Definitions of variables and descriptive statistics
From: What explains the regional variation in the use of general practitioners in Australia?
Variable name | Definition | Mean | SD |
|---|---|---|---|
Dependent variables | |||
Number of GP visits per capita | =Total GP services (MBS and DVA) in SLAs/population in each SLA in 2009–10 | 5.58 | 1.08 |
Explanatory variables: demand-side factors | |||
Age distribution | |||
 Age 0–9 | Proportion of population aged 0–9 | 0.12 | 0.02 |
 Age 10–29 | Proportion of population aged 10–29 | 0.26 | 0.05 |
 Age 30–44 (base group) | Proportion of population aged 30–44 | 0.20 | 0.03 |
 Age 45–64 | Proportion of population aged 45–64 | 0.27 | 0.04 |
 Age 65 and above | Proportion of population aged 65 and over | 0.14 | 0.05 |
Share of male | Proportion of male population | 50.33 | 1.86 |
ASGC remoteness index | |||
 Major city (base group) | =1 if in major city | 0.46 | 0.50 |
 Inner regional area | =1 if in inner regional areas | 0.26 | 0.44 |
 Rural and remote areas | =1 if in outer regional, remote, and very remote areas | 0.28 | 0.45 |
SEIFA-IRSD index | |||
 25th percentile and below (the most disadvantaged) | =1 if below 25th percentile of SEIFA | 0.20 | 0.40 |
 25th–50th percentile | =1 if 25th–50th percentile and below of SEIFA | 0.27 | 0.44 |
 50th–75th percentile | =1 if 50th–75th percentile and below of SEIFA | 0.25 | 0.44 |
 Above 75th percentile (base group - the most advantaged) | =1 if above 75th percentile of SEIFA | 0.28 | 0.45 |
Proportion of Aboriginal population | Proportion taken up by Aboriginal population | 3.53 | 1.08 |
Proportion of concession card holders | Proportion of population holding concession cards | 10.98 | 1.92 |
Share of fair or poor self-assessed health population | Share of people who report fair or poor self-reported health in each SLA | 14.67 | 3.75 |
Chronic disease and conditions (%) | |||
 Type 2 diabetes | Proportion of population having Type 2 diabetes | 3.53 | 0.83 |
 Circulatory system disease | Proportion of population having circulatory system disease | 22.71 | 5.34 |
 Respiratory system disease | Proportion of population having respiratory system disease | 26.10 | 2.96 |
Proportion of people with profound or severe disability living in the community | Proportion of people who have profound or severe disability living in the community | 3.53 | 1.08 |
Proportion of people with high/very high level of psychological distress | Proportion of people who have high/very high level of psychological distress | 10.98 | 1.92 |
Health-related factors (%) | |||
 Current smokers | Proportion of current smokers (aged 18 and above) | 20.35 | 3.75 |
 Alcohol consumption at levels of high risk to health | Proportion of people consuming alcohol at levels of a high risk to health (aged 18 and above) | 5.83 | 2.26 |
 Physical inactivity | Proportion of persons who are physically inactive (aged 18 and above) | 35.99 | 6.05 |
 Obese persons | Proportion of persons who are obese (aged 18 and above) | 18.03 | 3.23 |
Access to services (%) | |||
 Delayed purchasing prescribed medication | Proportion of people aged 18 years and over who delayed purchasing prescribed medication because they could not afford it | 8.67 | 2.75 |
 Have difficulty in accessing service | Proportion of people aged 18 years and over who had difficulty in accessing services | 25.03 | 4.54 |
Have difficulty in transportation | Proportion of people aged 18 years and over who often has a difficulty with transport or cannot get to places needed | 3.03 | 0.87 |
Explanatory variables: supply-side factors | |||
Physician density | |||
 Number of specialists per 1000 population | Number of GPs per 1000 population in each LGA | 0.85 | 2.59 |
 Number of GPs per 1000 population | Number of specialists per 1000 population in each LGA | 1.09 | 0.50 |
Number of EDs by SLAs | |||
 No ED (base group) | =1 if there is no EDs in a SLA | 0.38 | 0.49 |
 1–2 EDs | =1 if there are 1–2 EDs in a SLA | 0.44 | 0.50 |
 3 or more EDs | =1 if there are 3 or more EDs in a SLA | 0.18 | 0.38 |