title: Cross-border utilization of health care: evidence from a population-based study in south Texas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence of health care utilization in Mexico by Texas border residents and to identify the main contributing factors to their cross-border utilization of health care services.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used primary data from a population-based telephone survey that was conducted in the whole Texas border area in 2008. The survey included responses from 1,405 adults. Multivariate logistic regression models were estimated to determine predictors of utilizing a wide range of health care services in Mexico.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-nine percent of the sample reported having ever purchased medications in Mexico, followed by 41 percent for dentist visits, 37.3 percent for doctor visits, and 6.7 percent for inpatient care. The most significant predictors of health care utilization in Mexico were lack of U.S. health insurance coverage, dissatisfaction with the quality of U.S. health care, and poor self-rated health status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high prevalence of use of health care services in Mexico by Texas border residents is suggestive of unmet needs in health care on the U.S. side of the border. Addressing these unmet needs calls for a binational approach to improve the affordability, accessibility, and quality of health care in the U.S.-Mexico border region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Texas-Pan American, 1201 West University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78541, USA. dsu@utpa.edu
authors.forename: Dejun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pagán
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D057193:Medical Tourism / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D008800:Mexico; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013781:Texas