Culture can influence the ways in which a person seeks and uses health care. It provides the context by which an individual evaluates his or her symptoms, chooses a health care professional, and selects a health care setting. We have largely ignored the impact of culture on the health status of U.S. born and foreign-born Blacks. We have operationalized the term Black or African American in a way that obscures cultural differences among people of African descent living in the U.S. While we know that people of African descent living in the U.S. are composed of many different ethnic backgrounds (e.g., persons from the Caribbean and African countries), we have not systematically examined these differences using national data. This study examines the relationship between culture and health care using the 1995 National Health Interview Survey. Significant differences were found between U.S. born and foreign-born Blacks. Therefore, foreign born and U.S. Blacks appear to use different criteria when seeking and using health care.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify similarities and differences between US born and Foreign born Blacks in their use of health care. 3. Analyze factors that may acount for the differences between US born and Foreign born Blacks in their use of heatlh care services. 2. Discuss underlying factors that account for the differences between US born and Foreign born Blacks
Keywords: Health Care Access, Vulnerable Populations
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.