4.2.2. Needs Factors. Chronic illness was significantly associated
with PHC service utilization in the past 1, 6, and 12 months, consistent with studies in Thailand and Spain [10, 11].
Cognitive impairment was not associated with PHC service utilization in the past 1, 6, and 12 months which is in contrast to earlier findings [12, 13].
This disagreement may be attributed to the fact that only 3.2% of the sample
had cognitive impairment in this study and due to different measures being used across studies. The perceived general health status factors were found to be negatively associated
with PHC service utilization, indicating that participants who perceived that they were in poor health on the day of the interview tended to use more PHC services during the past 1, 6, and 12 months.
One explanation may be that older adults, especially those who have chronic illnesses, tend
to go to health centers mainly to obtain their prescribed medication. Also, both aging and many chronic illnesses are associated with disabilities and complications that are difficult to manage without utilizing health services.
Also,chronicity does not portend improvement over a 1-year time period.