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Access to substance abuse treatment in the Cape Town metropole ...

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a health care contact (Andersen, 1995). Studies us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> BHSU have used <strong>the</strong>follow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>dica<strong>to</strong>rs of health service utilization: type of visit, location and site ofvisit, frequency of visits, and <strong>in</strong>tensity of care received (Andersen, 1995;Andersen & Th<strong>in</strong>d, 2003). This study focuses specifically on <strong>the</strong> use of<strong>substance</strong> <strong>abuse</strong> <strong>treatment</strong> services.2.4. WHEN IS ACCESS EQUITABLE?For <strong>the</strong> purposes of this study, it is also important <strong>to</strong> dist<strong>in</strong>guish betweenequitable and <strong>in</strong>equitable access. While <strong>the</strong> concept of equality refers <strong>to</strong> equalopportunities <strong>to</strong> use a facility or service, equity <strong>in</strong>volves <strong>the</strong> just distribution ofservices <strong>in</strong> relation <strong>to</strong> need (Aday, Begley, Lairson et al., 1999). Accord<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong>BHSU, equitable access occurs when services are distributed accord<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> healthcare needs and that <strong>in</strong>equitable access occurs when social structural variables,health belief fac<strong>to</strong>rs, and/or barriers <strong>to</strong> service use determ<strong>in</strong>e who receives care(Andersen, 1995). <strong>Access</strong> is <strong>the</strong>refore <strong>in</strong>equitable when predispos<strong>in</strong>g fac<strong>to</strong>rsand/or enabl<strong>in</strong>g resources are <strong>the</strong> ma<strong>in</strong> predic<strong>to</strong>rs of utilization.The follow<strong>in</strong>g section describes <strong>the</strong> specific aims of <strong>the</strong> study and how <strong>the</strong> BHSUis used <strong>to</strong> achieve <strong>the</strong>se aims.21

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