[Use of public health services by Latin American immigrants in Spain].
OBJECTIVE
To identify patterns of public health care utilization by Latin American immigrants in Spain as compared to the local population.


METHODS
This analysis is based on information provided by the 2006 National Health Survey on the frequency of visits to general practitioners, specialists and emergency rooms, as well as hospital stays. The study uses a descriptive analysis involving tests of equality of distributions, medians and proportions, and a multivariate analysis with binomial negative and probit models.


RESULTS
The distribution of Latin American immigrants show lower utilization rates of public health care services than the native-born population, with the exception of hospital stays. The pattern of health care use by Latin Americans and Spaniards is different, with the exception of hospital stays. The results of the multivariate analysis indicate statistically significant differences only in the case of hospital stays (the probability of staying in a hospital in the last year is 2.8% higher for Latin American immigrants than among locals) and utilization of emergency rooms (0.205 more visits than the Spanish-born population).


CONCLUSIONS
There is no significant difference in utilization of public health care between Latin American immigrants and native-born populations in Spain, with the exception of a higher frequency of use of emergency rooms by the former.
Muñoz-de Bustillo
Rafael
R
Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, España.
Antón Pérez
José-Ignacio
JI
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017150:Public Sector; D013030:Spain; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult