title: Which Mexican-Americans underutilize health services?
abstract: Data collected from the Los Angeles site of the National Institute of Mental Health Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program were used to examine the utilization of health services in a community population. Mexican-Americans, especially the less acculturated, had significantly lower rates of use of outpatient, but not inpatient, care than non-Hispanic whites. Differences were greater for mental than physical health care. Less acculturated Mexican-Americans made very little use of either mental health specialists or the human services sector (e.g., religious leaders). Among those with a recent psychiatric disorder, non-Hispanic whites were seven times more likely to use outpatient mental health services than the less acculturated Mexican-Americans.
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States