| Statement of the Problem. A paradox of the health and welfare system is the need many elderly people have for services and their simultaneous underutilization of the available resources. This study examines the role of information in service use. The proposition put forth here is that formal and informal information networks are vital links between older people and service utilization. A model was developed as a logical extension to the gerontological and social service utilization literature to provide a framework for testing the relationships between access to information, service awareness of potential consumers and service utilization. The major independent variables included in the model were: education, income, race, age, marital status, sex, frailty, and number of household members. The dependent variables were the knowledge of services, the utilization of services, and the consideration of future service use. The intervening variable was access to information through formal and informal sources and through the media.;The study was divided into two levels of analyses. In the first level the hypotheses were examined in relationship to the 17 services combined and in the second level each service was treated individually. The major techniques employed in the general analysis were multiple regression and correlation. The service-specific analysis included three-way cross tabulation tables with Chi Square computed and five-way breakdowns of each service by knowledge, source of knowledge, eligibility, use, and the consideration of future use. In addition multiple regression equations were computed for individual services where the subgroups on the dependent variables were of sufficient size.;Major Findings. (1) Knowledge of the services was not evenly distributed among the respondents. Those respondents who learned of the services primarily through the media or through informal sources were more likely to have greater overall knowledge. (2) Source of knowledge was a more important single predictor of overall knowledge than any of the sociodemographic variables. (3) Few respondents learned of services through formal sources. However, knowledge through formal sources was the single best predictor of service utilization. (4) Many respondents who were eligible for services did not know of them.;Conclusions. This study provides empirical data which could aid planners in assessing whether the means they use in disseminating information about services are the most effective for reaching potential consumers. In addition the study offers information which may enable service providers to redirect their outreach and publicity efforts toward more purposeful and efficient programs.;Methodology. The research is based on household interviews of 706 men and women 60 years of age and over, conducted for the "Boston Elder Study" (Branch, 1978). The survey instrument contained items on the Boston elderly's knowledge and utilization of 17 public services. |
