Examining the determinants of access to primary care using the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging

There is a growing population of middle-aged and older adults in Canada that has inadequate access to primary healthcare, despite high levels of need. However, the determinants and barriers to primary care access, particularly in this population, are poorly understood. Previous studies examining factors associated with healthcare needs have primarily been conducted in the United States and Europe and very few have evaluated the access and utilization in older populations. Of the studies conducted in Canada, none have examined the level of unmet need in access to care and the reasons for poor access in the aging population at a pan-Canadian level. The proposed project is a master’s thesis project that aims to evaluate access and utilization of primary care services in older Canadians as well as to investigate how the use healthcare services changes over time.