Socio-demographic disparities in the utilisation of general practice services for Australian children - Results from a nationally representative longitudinal study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the pattern of general practice services utilization for Australian children and to examine socio-demographic disparities in general practitioner (GP) visits.MethodsWe used the linked data from the nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) and the Medicare Australia claims data record. We used survey negative binomial and logistic regression to examine the socio-demographic factors associated with the utilisation of general practice services.ResultsThe average number of annual GP visits gradually declined from 7.0 at 0–1 year old to 2.4 at 5–8 years (pConclusionSocio-demographic disparities existed in the utilisation of general practice services and varied at different age periods. Family socio-economic position, private health insurance coverage and region of residence strongly associates with the utilisation disparities over all age period. Further policy interventions are called to minimise the disparities in GP utilisation for children in Australian context.