Relationship between English language use and preferences for involvement in medical care among Hispanic women.
OBJECTIVE
To assess how English language use by Hispanic women affects their preferences for participating in decision making and information seeking regarding medical care.


METHODS
The study included 235 Hispanic women aged 35-61 years participating in a larger multicenter study, the Ethnicity, Needs, and Decisions of Women (ENDOW) Project. Participants were recruited from community settings and primary care public health clinics. Bilingual (English and Spanish speaking) interviewers asked participants questions about demographic characteristics, health status, reproductive history, menopausal status, access to healthcare, experience with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and hysterectomy, outcome expectations about HRT and hysterectomy, medical decision making, and social support. Using univariate and multivariate analyses, we assessed the relationships between the participants' preferences for participating in decision making and information seeking, their language use, and other covariates of interest.


RESULTS
Overall, the participants expressed a strong desire for information about and participating in medical decisions. However, they expressed a lower preference for participating in decisions related to use of HRT compared with the desire for engaging in decision involving invasive medical procedures (hysterectomy and cholecystectomy) and high blood pressure management. Increased use of English language was significantly associated with preferences for participating in medical care decision making, in general (p < 0.001), and with information seeking (p = 0.044). Decreased use of English language was associated with a lower desire for participating in medical care decision making.


CONCLUSIONS
Increased use of English language may influence Hispanic women's preferences for participating in medical decisions and their information-seeking behavior.
Tortolero-Luna
Guillermo
G
The University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health, Houston, Texas., The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. guillermo.tortolero@uth.tmc.edu
Byrd
Theresa
T
Groff
Janet Y
JY
Linares
Adriana C
AC
Mullen
Patricia D
PD
Cantor
Scott B
SB
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000208:ethnology; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology