Acesso aos Serviços de Saúde nas Áreas Urbana e Rural do Brasil

The determinants of the demand for health services due to health problems is analyzed in the urban and rural areas of Brazil, based on the household survey from 1998. The variable health status of each individual was estimated as a function on the household’s infrastructure, individual characteristics, family income, etc., and the estimates were used as an explanatory variable in the demand for health services, to avoid endogeneity problems. The most important factor in determining health services, in urban and rural areas, was the individual’s health status. In urban areas, schooling was also important to reduce the demand for health services.