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Abstract
The determinants of the demand for health services due to health
problems is analyzed in the urban and rural areas of Brazil, based on the
household survey from 1998. The variable health status of each individual was estimated as a function on the household’s infrastructure, individual
characteristics, family income, etc., and the estimates were used as an explanatory
variable in the demand for health services, to avoid endogeneity
problems. The most important factor in determining health services, in
urban and rural areas, was the individual’s health status. In urban areas,
schooling was also important to reduce the demand for health services.