164
Population Aging
Figure 4.17 Population with Perceived Health Needs in LAC as a Percentage of Total Population by Age Clusters, Gender, and Income Quintiles, 1997–99 b. Poorest quintile, women percentage of total population
percentage of total population
a. Poorest quintile, men 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 childhood
youth/adult
80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 childhood
aging
c. Richest quintile, men
childhood
youth/adult
aging
percentage of total population
percentage of total population
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
youth/adult
aging
age cluster
age cluster
d. Richest quintile, women
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
childhood
youth/adult
aging
age cluster
age cluster Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
El Salvador
Jamaica
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Source: MECOVI household surveys 1997–99.
The data also show that aging women have a higher perception of health problems than aging men in both the poorest and richest income quintile, and this is also reflected in health utilization.
Perceived Health Needs Compared to Health Services Utilization Health utilization is strongly related to perceived health needs. Given that health utilization is voluntary, the population tends to use health services when it perceives some dysfunction that could affect its present or future health. However, as mentioned, due to several factors related to the availability of health services or the financial resources to afford them, part of the population (particularly the poor) could experience problems accessing health services when they perceive health needs. Table 4.5 and table 4.6 show MECOVI data about health utilization as