RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: Recent legislative trends in the U.S. tend to impede immigrants from receiving health services. Such restricted access should be particularly evidenced by limited preventive services utilization. In particular, Latina women have been identified as being at risk for under-utilization of preventive services. Given the large percentage of Latinas who are immigrants, as well as these recent legislative trends, non-citizenship status may partially explain the lack of preventive services utilization among the Latina population. This research is designed to examine utilization of preventive services (mammography, colo-rectal exam, and Papanicolaou (Pap) smear) by women living in Los Angeles County with the intent of determining whether citizenship, especially among the large Latina population, plays a significant role in access. STUDY DESIGN: The conceptual model is based on the Andersen Behavioral Model of Health Services Utilization, modified by the addition of citizenship. Data was obtained from the 1997 Los Angeles County Health Survey, a population-based, random digit dialing telephone survey of 8,004 households in Los Angeles County. For each of the three preventive services variables (mammography, colo-rectal exam, and Pap smear), a separate logistic regression analysis was run.
PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The outcomes of the analyses were mixed. As predicted, Latina non-citizens were significantly less likely to receive a Pap smear, controlling for all other variables. However, citizenship was not a significant predictor of preventive services access/utilization for mammography or colorectal exam.
CONCLUSION: Current policies may be creating barriers to care; non-citizen Latina women may be at increased risk for invasive cervical cancer.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to describe the impact of citizenship status on Latina women in the reciept of mammography,clinical breast exam, colo-rectal exam, and Pap smear
Keywords: Health Care Access, Immigrant Women
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.