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

Abstract #112468

Marylou Cardenas-Turanzas, MD, DrPH, Section of Health Services Research Department of Biostatistics and Applied Mathematics, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd Box 196, Houston, TX 77030, (713) 563 4303, mcardena@mail.mdanderson.org and Maria Eugenia Fernandez-Esquer, PhD, University of Texas School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler, Houston, TX 77030.

PURPOSE: To describe access to health services among recently immigrated Latina women working in bars or cantinas located in a metropolitan area in Texas. METHOD: A total of 360 women were interviewed in Latino neighborhoods as part of a community intervention study to prevent cervical cancer among Latinas at high risk. MEASURES: Survey questionnaire included questions about demographic characteristics, health care and cancer screening. Measures of health care included satisfaction with last physician visit, place for cervical cancer screening and type of payment for cancer screening services. RESULTS: Most (64%) participants reported a physician visit in the last year. Participants indicated that they were very satisfied (82%), more or less satisfied (16%) or not at all satisfied (2%) with their health care. Less than half (47%) of the respondents had a Pap smear in the twelve months prior to the interview. Most women (90%) had the screening test done as part of a routine check-up, and of this total, 72% had it done at a clinic. More than half (53%) indicated that they had received the Pap smear free of charge, while 41% had to pay for it, and only 6% had health insurance coverage. We will discuss multivariate results identifying characteristics associated with place for cancer screening and payment type. DISCUSSION: Recently immigrated cantineras participate in regular health care and seem to be satisfied with the care they receive. Results indicate that patterns of health care among recent immigrated Latinas need to be explored further.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.- Identify characteristics associated with place of cancer screening and payment types.

Keywords: Immigrant Women, Cancer Screening

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.