Frequency and Percentage of Distributions of Demographic, Health Status, and Utilization Characteristics Comparing Frequent and Non-frequent Attenders (N = 381)*
| Frequent Attenders (N = 79) | Non-frequent Attenders (N = 302) | Statistic† | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic factors | ||||
| Age group | ||||
| 18 to 44 years | 30 (37.9%) | 195 (64.6%) | χ2 = 18.521 | <.001 |
| 45 to 64 years | 39 (49.4%) | 88 (29.1%) | ||
| 65+ years | 10 (12.7%) | 19 (6.3%) | ||
| Mean age (SD) | 48.65 (14.15) | 40.46 (14.89) | t test = 4.395 | <.001 |
| Gender | ||||
| Male | 18 (22.8%) | 90 (29.8%) | χ2 = 1.518 | NS |
| Female | 61 (77.2%) | 212 (70.2%) | ||
| ZIP code of residence | ||||
| Within the CHC catchment area | 20 (25.6%) | 85 (28.2%) | χ2 = 4.823 | .090 |
| Within the city, but outside the catchment area | 48 (61.5%) | 199 (66.1%) | ||
| Outside of the city limits | 10 (12.8%) | 17 (5.6%) | ||
| Marital Status | ||||
| Not currently married | 45 (73.8%) | 182 (69.7%) | χ2 = 0.388 | NS |
| Married | 16 (26.2%) | 79 (30.3%) | ||
| Insurance Status | ||||
| Medicaid | 53 (67.1%) | 163 (54.7%) | χ2 = 16.754 | .001 |
| Medicare | 19 (24.1%) | 43 (14.4%) | ||
| Private | 2 (2.5%) | 32 (10.7%) | ||
| None/self-pay/Free Care | 5 (6.3%) | 60 (20.1%) | ||
| Provider type | ||||
| MD/attending | 39 (49.4%) | 143 (47.4%) | χ2 = 0.165 | NS |
| NP or PA | 22 (27.8%) | 91 (30.1%) | ||
| Resident | 18 (22.8%) | 68 (22.5%) | ||
| Health indicators | ||||
| Smoking status | ||||
| Not currently smoking | 45 (60.0%) | 167 (60.3%) | χ2 = 0.002 | NS |
| Currently smoking | 30 (40.0%) | 110 (39.7%) | ||
| Hypertension | ||||
| No | 53 (67.1%) | 232 (76.8%) | χ2 = 3.147 | .076 |
| Yes | 26 (32.9%) | 70 (23.2%) | ||
| Diabetes | ||||
| No | 55 (69.6%) | 274 (90.7%) | χ2 = 23.674 | <.001 |
| Yes | 24 (30.4%) | 28 (9.3%) | ||
| Obesity‡ | ||||
| No | 33 (41.8%) | 155 (51.3%) | χ2 = 2.286 | NS |
| Yes | 46 (58.2%) | 147 (48.7%) | ||
| Depression | ||||
| No | 42 (53.2%) | 221 (73.2%) | χ2 = 11.733 | .001 |
| Yes | 37 (46.8%) | 81 (26.8%) | ||
| Number of chronic physical conditions | ||||
| None | 8 (10.1%) | 116 (38.4%) | χ2 = 22.818 | <.001 |
| One or more | 71 (89.9%) | 186 (61.8%) | ||
| Mean number of chronic problems (SD) | 2.27 (1.28) | 1.10 (1.16) | t test = 7.803 | <.001 |
| Number of chronic psychological conditions | ||||
| None | 34 (43.0%) | 193 (63.9%) | χ2 = 11.325 | .001 |
| One or more | 45 (57.0%) | 109 (36.1%) | ||
| Mean number of chronic problems (SD) | 0.75 (0.78) | 0.50 (0.75) | t test = 2.619 | .009 |
| Utilization Factors | ||||
| Number of ER visits | ||||
| None/One | 51 (66.2%) | 268 (90.5%) | χ2 = 29.158 | <.001 |
| 2+ | 26 (33.8%) | 28 (9.5%) | ||
| Mean number of ER visits (SD) | 1.35 (1.72) | 0.50 (1.32) | t test = 4.019 | <.001 |
| Proportion of missed appointments based on number of scheduled appointments | ||||
| <50% | 77 (100.0%) | 241 (81.7%) | χ2 = 16.488 | <.001 |
| ≥50% | 0 (0.0%) | 54 (18.3%) | ||
| Mean proportion (SD) | 0.1294 (0.1012) | 0.2730 (0.2141) | t test = 8.459 | <.001 |
NS, not significant.
* Some numbers may not add up to N = 381 because of sporadic missing data.
† χ2 tests were used for categorical independent variables; t tests were used for continuous independent variables; all t tests were recomputed using Mann-Whitney U nonparametric tests because of skewness in the numbers of ED visits, missed appointments, and chronic problems (no differences in interpretation of the relationship between these variables and the outcome were found).
‡ Patients were categorized as being obese or not based on the notation of this diagnosis on the chronic problem list as well as through the calculation of their body mass index using height and weight data indicated in their medical record.