The use of prescription medications obtained from non-medical sources among immigrant Latinos in the rural southeastern U.S.
We explored the relationships between behavioral, socio-cultural, and psychological characteristics and the use of prescription medications obtained from non-medical sources among predominantly Spanish-speaking Latinos in the rural southeastern U.S. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS) was used to identify, recruit, and enroll immigrant Latinos to participate in an interviewer-administered assessment. A total of 164 respondents were interviewed in 2009. Average age was 34 years old, 64% of respondents were female, and nearly 85% reported being from Mexico. Unweighted and RDS-weighted prevalence estimates of any non-medical source of prescription medications were 22.6% and 15.1%, respectively. In multivariable modeling, respondents who perceived their documentation status as a barrier to health care and those with higher educational attainment were significantly more likely to report use of non-medical sources. Interventions are needed to increase knowledge of eligibility to sources of medical care and treatment and ensure culturally congruent services for immigrant communities in the U.S.
Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1063, USA. esong@wakehealth.edu
Eun-Young
EY
Song
Jami S
JS
Leichliter
Frederick R
FR
Bloom
Aaron T
AT
Vissman
Mary Claire
MC
O'Brien
Scott D
SD
Rhodes
D000328:Adult; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000600:supply & distribution* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012424:Rural Population; D015144:Southeastern United States; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
D055553:Prescription Drugs