The Effect of Hispanic Ethnicity and Acculturation on Health Care Utilization

Kellie J. Hagewen, Duke University

The objective of this study is to use the behavioral model of health care utilization developed by Andersen and colleagues to identify the correlates and predictors of health care utilization for Hispanics in the United States. This study strives to make three important contributions to the study of health care access and utilization. First, I dedicate my attention to the understudied population of Hispanics in the United States and focus on health differences among the Hispanic populations. Second, I better inform the behavioral model of health care utilization by including often omitted components of the model. Finally, I test the modified behavioral model as the original model was designed to be tested, as a true path model, and examine the direct, indirect, and interactive effects of the model components.