Survey Shows That Hispanics Don’t Like To Go To The Doctor

Hispanic-Americans are less likely to seek health screenings or preventive care compared with their black and white peers, according to a new survey that provides a detailed and ongoing assessment of the Hispanic community’s attitudes toward health care.

The Healthy Americas Survey, released by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and the University of Southern California, shows that 68 percent of blacks are vigilant about getting health screenings and checkups, compared with 60 percent of whites and 55 percent of Hispanics.

“This is dangerous for the long-term health of U.S. Latinos,” said Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H., a health disparities researcher at UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas. “We need increased educational interventions, a more diversified health care workforce, and great access to health care coverage [for Latinos].”

In the survey, Hispanic-Americans were more likely than black and white people Americans to say they don’t have significant control over their health, although the report doesn’t address why.

Jane L. Delgado, Ph.D., president, and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based National Alliance for Hispanic Health, said she hopes public health officials pay attention to the survey results because “people are doing all they can to stay healthy, but they need help from them.”

Among the 869 American adults who participated in telephone interviews between Sept. 15 and Oct. 1, about a third were Hispanics of any race. The statistics indicate Hispanic participants were much less likely to have a college education. About a quarter said they earned more than $50,000 a year, compared with 47 percent of whites and 30 percent of blacks.

The survey questions addressed a variety of health topics, including nutrition, individual health, and community health.