Does Being an Immigrant Make a Difference in Seeking Physician Services?
Author: Xu, Ke Tom
Date Published: 2008
This research document is a study that investigated the effects of immigration status, acculturation, and health beliefs on the use of preventive and non-preventive visits. U.S. born adults were found to have significantly more preventive and non-preventive visits than immigrants. The effects on predicting preventive visits of education, having a usual source of care, and having other public insurance were stronger among immigrant than among the U.S. born. Health confidence and believing in the need for health insurance significantly predicted the numbers of both preventive and non-preventive visits among the U.S. born but correlated little with either type of visit among immigrants. The lower utilization of both preventive and non-preventive care among immigrants may be associated with a combination of better health and more limited enabling resources.
Date Published: 2008
This research document is a study that investigated the effects of immigration status, acculturation, and health beliefs on the use of preventive and non-preventive visits. U.S. born adults were found to have significantly more preventive and non-preventive visits than immigrants. The effects on predicting preventive visits of education, having a usual source of care, and having other public insurance were stronger among immigrant than among the U.S. born. Health confidence and believing in the need for health insurance significantly predicted the numbers of both preventive and non-preventive visits among the U.S. born but correlated little with either type of visit among immigrants. The lower utilization of both preventive and non-preventive care among immigrants may be associated with a combination of better health and more limited enabling resources.
