Barriers to medical care of Mexican-Americans: the role of social class, acculturation, and social isolation

Med Care. 1982 Sep;20(9):883-91. doi: 10.1097/00005650-198209000-00002.

Abstract

Literature on medical care utilization by Mexican-Americans suggests that patterns of utilization can be explained, in part, by acculturation, social class and social isolation. The relative importance of these variables is explored in a survey of a rural Mexican-American community in Southern Texas. Data on 152 families are analyzed using a logit analysis, with utilization as the outcome variable. The results suggest that acculturation has a direct effect, while social class and social isolation interact to have a weak effect independent of acculturation. These results confirm the importance of understanding all three variables in planning and implementing medical care programs in Mexican-American communities.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cultural Deprivation
  • Data Collection
  • Female
  • Health Services*
  • Hispanic or Latino*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mexico / ethnology
  • Middle Aged
  • Random Allocation
  • Social Class*
  • Social Isolation*
  • Texas