Health service utilization by Indochinese refugees

Abstract

In this article the utilization of medical services by Indochinese refugees is examined. A representative sample of the refugee population in one resettlement site provides basic data on health service utilization behaviors. The analysis focuses on the situational and attitudinal determinants of hospital contact, physician contact, and the volume of utilization of both services. The findings indicate that length of residence and ethnicity are important predictors of utilization behaviors. The most recently arrived refugees and the Hmong are low utilizers of physician and hospital services. A regression analysis of situational and attitudinal variables shows that effects of length of residence and ethnicity do not diminish when the effects of the other variables are considered. Although the results are similar to previous utilization studies, they do suggest that Indochinese refugees require more information about United States health services to utilize them properly.