Study: Too Poor to Get Sick? The Implications of Place, Race, and Costs on the Health Care Experiences of Residents in Poor Urban Neighborhoods

ABSTRACT

Too Poor to Get Sick? The Implications of Place, Race, and Costs on the Health Care Experiences of Residents in Poor Urban Neighborhoods
Sandra L. Barnes
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=22305

Literature suggests that the poor often face a myriad of health care constraints and health problems. This study uses bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine the effects of systemic factors, such as the availability of health-care providers and neighborhood poverty, on individual health decisions for a sample of African-Americans, Whites, Mexicans, and Puerto Ricans in poor Chicago neighborhoods. Results show that Medicaid usage and having a regular physician increase the number of days home ill and days hospitalized, while frequenting clinics decreases such activity. Additionally, residents in more impoverished urban areas are less likely to stay home ill. Differences in health profiles and providers are also evident based on race/ethnicity. These findings illustrate the important relationship between macro-level factors and specific health choices many resident in poor urban areas make at the micro-level.

Contact: Amy Patterson - Neubertapatterson@purdue.edu
765-494-9723
Purdue University - http://www.purdue.edu/

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