Health Care Utilization Among Middle Eastern, Hispanic, and Asian Immigrants in the United States: An Analysis of Andersen’s Behavioral Model

Neveen Shafeek Amin , University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Nichola Driver, University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service

Using data from the 2002-2017 National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS), the current study examines patterns of health care utilization among Middle Eastern, Hispanic, and Asian immigrants in the US. Specifically, we use Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Care Utilization to model the likelihood of visiting the doctor in the last 12 months and time since their last doctor’s visit for the three immigrant groups. Additionally, the current study investigates gender differences across and within the three immigrant groups. Results show that immigrant women, regardless of their race/ethnicity, are significantly more likely than their male counterparts to report visiting the doctor in the past 12 months and being insured. Results also show that Andersen's behavioral framework is well suited to predict immigrants’ doctor visits. With regard to ethnicity, ME immigrants, regardless of their gender, have higher odds of reporting any doctor’s visits in the past 12 months compared to Hispanic and Asian counterparts.

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 Presented in Session 76. Flash Session: Unpacking Associations Between Race/Ethnicity and Health