An examination of sociocultural factors associated with health and health care seeking among Latina immigrants.
An examination of sociocultural factors associated with health and health care seeking among Latina immigrants.
复制标题
DOI：
10.1007/s10903-006-9008-8
复制
发表时间：
2006-10-01
影响因子：
1.9
通讯作者：
Harrison, Lynda
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Garces, Isabel C;Scarinci, Isabel C;Harrison, Lynda
本研究的目的是探讨社会文化因素与健康维护和医疗保健寻求拉丁美洲移民。数据收集自8个焦点组，54名年龄在19岁至62岁之间的拉丁裔移民（M=29.3+/-9.34）。PEN-3模型为研究提供了框架。大多数参与者来自墨西哥; 46%的人没有完成高中学业; 85.2%的人在美国生活不到7年，73.6%的人没有医疗保险。与会者确定了积极和消极的看法，使能者和养育者与健康维护和医疗保健寻求。与会者认识到身体、心理和精神健康的重要性，以及他们应该做些什么来保持健康。尽管有这样的知识，他们倾向于从事不健康的行为，由于各种非结构性障碍，如缺乏时间，“传统”和拖延。他们倾向于先使用替代/补充药物，如果这些做法无效，再寻求医疗帮助。许多妇女认为，她们无法控制自己的健康，并将这种缺乏控制归咎于“制度”。“与会者还提到了寻求医疗保健的结构性障碍，如缺乏交通工具，缺乏适当的文件，缺乏医疗保险，语言障碍，在诊所等待时间长，以及缺乏关于去哪里获得负担得起的医疗保健的知识。我们的研究表明，有重要的结构性和非结构性障碍，阻碍健康维护和寻求护理。研究结果还支持PEN-3模型，并表明，积极的看法，使能者和养育者与健康维护和寻求医疗保健，如果得到适当的加强，可以抵消负面的看法，使能者和养育者在这一人群。
The purpose of this study was to examine the sociocultural factors associated with health maintenance and health care seeking among Latina immigrants. Data were collected from eight focus groups with 54 Latina immigrants between the ages of 19 and 62 (M=29.3+/-9.34). The PEN-3 model provided the framework for the study. Most of the participants came from Mexico; 46% had not completed high school; 85.2% had been in the United States for less than 7 years, and 73.6% reported not having health insurance coverage. Participants identified both positive and negative perceptions, enablers, and nurturers associated with health maintenance and health care seeking. Participants acknowledged the importance of physical, mental, and spiritual health and what they should do to be healthy. Despite such knowledge, they tended to engage in unhealthy behaviors due to a variety of nonstructural barriers such as lack of time, "tradition," and procrastination. They tended to use alternative/complementary medicine first, and then seek medical help if these practices are not effective. Many women believe that they do not have control over their own health attributing this lack of control to the "system." Participants also mentioned structural barriers to seeking health care such as lack of transportation, lack of proper documentation, lack of health insurance, language barriers, long waiting time at the clinics, and lack of knowledge on where to go for affordable care. Our study suggests that there are important structural and nonstructural barriers that hinder health maintenance and care seeking. The findings also lend support to the PEN-3 model, and suggest that positive perceptions, enablers, and nurturers associated with health maintenance and health care seeking, if properly reinforced, can counterbalance negative perceptions, enablers and nurturers in this population.