Does access to care still affect health care utilization by immigrants? Testing of an empirical explanatory model of health care utilization by Korean American immigrants with high blood pressure.
Despite well-known benefits of health care utilization for the effective management of chronic diseases, the underlying mechanism of understanding health care utilization in ethnic minority population has not been systematically explored. The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictive ability of a health care utilization model by analyzing the interplay between predisposing, enabling, and need factors. The sample consisted of hypertensive Korean American immigrants (KAIs) 40-64 years of age who participated in a self-help intervention for high blood pressure care (SHIP-HBP). Using structured questionnaires, data were collected from 445 KAIs at baseline and analyzed with path analysis. Insurance status and relevant medical history were not just strong direct effects but also carried the most total effect on the health care utilization of these patients. Life priorities, years of residence in the US and perceived income level exerted indirect effects through the participants' insurance status. Our statistical analysis indicated a good fit for the proposed model (x (2) = 28.4, P = 0.29; NFI = 0.91; CFI = 0.99; RMSEA = 0.02). Overall, the model explained 18% of the variance in health care utilization of hypertensive KAIs. These findings strongly support a need to improve access to health care for KAIs by introducing a variety of community resources and building sustainable community infrastructures.
Song
Hee-Jung
HJ
Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205-2179, USA. hsong@jhsph.edu
Han
Hae-Ra
HR
Lee
Jong-Eun
JE
Kim
Ji-Yun
JY
Kim
Kim B
KB
Ryu
Jai Poong
JP
Kim
Miyong
M
D000328:Adult; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D004219:District of Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011446:Prospective Studies; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000208:ethnology