Table 3.
Perceived physician support by age and needing help learning HOW to take better care of own health.
| Perceived physician support scale items (α = 0.776) |
Total (n = 287) |
Age group | Need help learning how to care for health | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 to 64 (n = 189) |
65+ (n = 98) |
χ 2 or t | P | No (n = 188) |
Yes (n = 99) |
χ 2 or t | P | ||
| Help you get appointments that you need | |||||||||
| Never | 12.9% | 14.3% | 10.2% | 4.66 | 0.324 | 16.0% | 7.1% | 8.50 | 0.075 |
| Rarely | 5.9% | 3.8% | 2.1% | 4.8% | 8.1% | ||||
| Occasionally | 12.9% | 9.1% | 3.8% | 10.1% | 18.2% | ||||
| Frequently | 17.4% | 12.9% | 4.5% | 17.6% | 17.2% | ||||
| Always | 50.9% | 30.7% | 20.2% | 51.6% | 49.5% | ||||
| Ask if you understand your medications when your doctor prescribes them | |||||||||
| Never | 15.3% | 15.8% | 14.1% | 1.85 | 0.763 | 17.6% | 11.0% | 7.30 | 0.121 |
| Rarely | 6.6% | 7.4% | 5.1% | 6.4% | 7.0% | ||||
| Occasionally | 14.2% | 9.7% | 4.5% | 10.6% | 21.0% | ||||
| Frequently | 17.4% | 10.4% | 7.3% | 18.6% | 15.0% | ||||
| Always | 46.5% | 46.3% | 46.5% | 46.8% | 46.0% | ||||
| Talk to other doctors and nurses who are taking care of you | |||||||||
| Never | 25.4% | 25.4% | 25.5% | 4.08 | 0.395 | 28.3% | 20.0% | 4.79 | 0.309 |
| Rarely | 15.0% | 11.5% | 3.5% | 12.3% | 20.0% | ||||
| Occasionally | 26.8% | 24.3% | 31.6% | 26.2% | 28.0% | ||||
| Frequently | 17.1% | 11.8% | 5.2% | 16.6% | 18.0% | ||||
| Always | 15.7% | 9.8% | 5.9% | 16.6% | 14.0% | ||||
| Make plans to contact you after a visit to see how you are doing | |||||||||
| Never | 26.8% | 28.6% | 24.5% | 2.80 | 0.591 | 28.3% | 24.0% | 4.25 | 0.373 |
| Rarely | 15.3% | 10.8% | 4.5% | 13.4% | 19.0% | ||||
| Occasionally | 25.1% | 16.4% | 8.7% | 27.8% | 20.0% | ||||
| Frequently | 17.1% | 9.4% | 7.3% | 16.0% | 19.0% | ||||
| Always | 15.7% | 10.5% | 5.2% | 14.4% | 18.0% | ||||
| Tell you about other people who can help you with your health problems | |||||||||
| Never | 30.1% | 19.4% | 10.4% | 5.06 | 0.282 | 30.5% | 29.3% | 3.56 | 0.469 |
| Rarely | 11.5% | 6.6% | 5.2% | 12.3% | 10.1% | ||||
| Occasionally | 30.1% | 18.7% | 11.1% | 30.5% | 29.3% | ||||
| Frequently | 15.0% | 11.8% | 3.5% | 12.3% | 20.2% | ||||
| Always | 13.3% | 9.7% | 3.8% | 14.4% | 11.1% | ||||
| Ask for your ideas about how you can take care of your health problems | |||||||||
| Never | 29.2% | 19.2% | 9.8% | 2.66 | 0.616 | 33.0% | 22.0% | 10.48 | 0.033 |
| Rarely | 13.2% | 9.8% | 3.5% | 11.7% | 16.0% | ||||
| Occasionally | 23.6% | 14.3% | 9.4% | 18.6% | 33.0% | ||||
| Frequently | 20.8% | 14.7% | 6.3% | 22.3% | 18.0% | ||||
| Always | 13.2% | 12.2% | 14.4% | 14.4% | 11.0% | ||||
| Perceived physician support tertiles (higher scores indicate more support) | |||||||||
| Highest tertile | 25.40% | 27.50% | 21.40% | 1.93 | 0.381 | 27.10% | 22.20% | 1.10 | 0.577 |
| Middle tertile | 41.50% | 41.80% | 40.80% | 41.50% | 41.40% | ||||
| Lowest tertile (referent group) | 33.10% | 30.70% | 37.80% | 31.40% | 36.40% | ||||
| Perceived physician support scale (ranging from 6 to 30) | 18.70 (±5.84) | 18.52 (±5.83) | 19.03 (±5.87) | −0.70 | 0.482 | 18.53 (±6.06) | 19.01 (±5.43) | −0.67 | 0.505 |