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This study examines individual determinants of hospital days in community-dwelling elders by estimating a linear structural equation model based upon Andersen´s behavioral model. Data were collected through a national survey of elders in Korea in 1994. The subjects for this secondary data analysis were 1687 non-institutionalized elders aged 60 years or older. Except for the effect of age and gender on family help, the predisposing components had direct effects on the enabling components. Of the effects of the enabling components, family help had a direct effect on self-evaluated health; economic status had a direct effect on chronic disease and self-evaluated health; and access had a direct effect on chronic disease, functional health status and self-evaluated health. Of the enabling components, residence and family help directly affected hospital days. Self-evaluated health revealed the greatest direct effect on hospital days followed by functional health. Overall, the effects of the predisposing components and the enabling components on hospital days were not prominent. Since the model explained only 4% of the variance in hospital days, the magnitude of the effect of the need components cannot be judged in terms of equity of distribution of health services. In particular, the effect of family help in the model reveals the importance of family support in health management of elders. The implications of these analyses for improving the proposed model of hospital days were discussed.
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