A study of the determinants of the utilization of preventive health care service among Chicanos
Abstract
This study examines the individual and health care system determinants of two types of preventive health care practice behaviors, having a routine physical exam or a preventive dental exam, in the past year among Chicanos in the Southwestern United States. The study utilizes the Health System Model, developed by Aday and Andersen in 1974, to analyze the relative effect of education, income and occupation on the use of discretionary health care, controlling for other individual and health care system determinants. The study is based on a sample of 4,111 Mexican origin adults, drawn from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). This sample is representative of Mexican American residing in the Southwestern United States. The study tests the hypothesis that education is the most important social class predictor of preventive health care practice behavior. The fully elaborated model tests the hypothesis that individual determinants alone are insufficient to explain the use of preventive health care services among Chicanos. The study found that education and income are statistically significant social class indicators only as it relates to having a preventive dental exam. Education is not the most important social class predictor of either preventive health care practice behavior. Health care system determinants are key predictors of both behaviors. Need, as measured by self-perceived health status of teeth and gender, is as important a determinant as having dental insurance coverage as it relates to having a preventive dental exam. Implications for health programs to effectively reach Chicano target groups and remove access barriers to their use of discretionary health care services are discussed.
Subject Area
Public health|Dental care
Recommended Citation
Santos, Yolanda Marie, "A study of the determinants of the utilization of preventive health care service among Chicanos" (1990). Texas Medical Center Dissertations (via ProQuest). AAI9109981.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/dissertations/AAI9109981