Original ArticlesUsual sources, patterns of utilization, and foregone health care among Hispanic adolescents
Section snippets
Research design
The results reported here are from a secondary analysis of survey data originally collected from 10,059 students in 7th (n = 3596), 9th (n = 3691), and 11th (n = 2772) grades in the state of Connecticut in 1996. A stratified random sampling strategy was used to ensure a sample that was representative of youth in public schools throughout this geographically and economically diverse state. The sampling frame used a set of geographic and socioeconomic criteria established by the state Department
Demographics
Roughly half of the subjects [n = 389 (54.3%)] were born on the U.S. mainland and two were born in Hawaii or Alaska. Of those remaining, twice as many [n = 216 (30.1%)] were born in Puerto Rico as were born in other countries [n = 107 (14.9%)]. There were three cases of missing data.
Enabling resources
The majority [n = 537 (74.9%)] reported that their mothers lived at home, while fewer [n = 390 (54.4%)] reported that their fathers lived at home. Over half responded that they lived with two parents [n = 387
Discussion
The finding that private physicians were the usual source of care for Hispanic subjects who were born in Puerto Rico and other countries, while emergency rooms and clinics were the usual sources of care for U.S.-born subjects, was somewhat surprising, as it is unlike reports about adults from Puerto Rico (15). These differences may be explained in part by differences in socioeconomic status, legal immigrant status of those born outside the United States, and general socialization of both groups
Acknowledgements
This study was supported in part by a grant to L.R. from the National Institute of Nursing Research, NIH (1 F33 NR07126-01), and by a grant to M.R. and T.B. from Voice of Connecticut Youth.
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