Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #115048

Alisa Maria Olshefsky, BA¹, Jesse Brennan, MA¹, María Luisa Zúñiga, PhD¹, Rosana Scolari, BA², and Estela Blanco¹. (1) School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Dept. 0927, La Jolla, CA 92093, 619-243-7254, aolshefs@ucsd.edu, (2) San Ysidro Health Center, 4004 Beyer Boulevard, San Ysidro, CA 92173

Introduction: Limited information is available on effects of acculturation on quality of life and barriers to entry into HIV care for Mexican-Americans in the California border with Mexico. Understanding these factors and healthcare choices of HIV+ persons can inform providers & policy makers working in the US-Mexico border. Methods: HIV+ clients in the US-Mexico border region were recruited from 4 clinics in Southern California. Health care access and health behavior questionnaires were administered on consented clients by trained project staff. Data are non-normally distributed and highly skewed, requiring special consideration for analysis. Results: 279 Mexican-origin respondents were predominately male (85%), gay/bisexual (62%), and reported having no medical insurance (80%). Of the 272 respondents, 91% (247) scored “low” on acculturation to Anglo culture, compared to 2% (6) with “high” acculturation. Acculturation levels varied across the border: California HIV+ clients reported lowest levels of acculturation. Top 3 perceived barriers to HIV care: cost (74%), medications causing sickness (69%), and HIV-related stigma (67%). A significant decrease in perceived barriers to care was noted pre-post client entry into case management. Perception of overall health improved significantly 6 months after intake; 44% of clients reporting “Very Good” health (29%) or “Excellent” health (15%). Conclusions: HIV+ persons in the Southern CA border report increased perceived quality of life and decreased barriers to care after entry into social/medical HIV services. This population had lower levels of acculturation compared to populations in other US/Mexico border states. Variability in acculturation may indicate diversity among border populations living with HIV.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify border-specific health access issues faced by HIV+ Latinos who live or work along the Southern California border with Mexico.
• Discuss approaches to analyzing non-normally distributed data presented in the session.
• Articulate policy and programmatic challenges to providing care for persons living and working in the US-Mexico border region.

Keywords: Barriers to Care, HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered