Race, ethnicity, and access to health care, Rhode Island, 1990

J Health Soc Policy. 1997;9(1):1-14. doi: 10.1300/J045v09n01_01.

Abstract

Differences in access to health care by race and ethnicity have been examined using data obtained from a statewide health interview survey conducted by Rhode Island Department of Health in 1990 (N = 6,536 individuals in 2,586 households), in which ethnic minorities were oversampled. Compared to White non-Hispanic (WNH) respondents, White Hispanics (WH) were more likely to lack a regular source of medical care at some time in the past twelve months (14.0% vs. 9.8%) and were much more likely to lack health insurance coverage (22.7% vs. 7.5%). Black respondents were more likely to lack regular source of care (10.4%) and health insurance coverage (17.4%). Asian respondents also had a high proportion without insurance (13.5%). Multivariate analysis has been employed to identify significant social, economic, and demographic determinants of inadequate access to care, including variables for race/ethnicity, age, sex, income, education, and employment status, and to quantify their independent contributions as predictors of level of access.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Asian / statistics & numerical data
  • Black or African American / statistics & numerical data
  • Data Collection / methods
  • Demography
  • Educational Status
  • Employment
  • Ethnicity / statistics & numerical data*
  • Health Care Surveys*
  • Health Services Accessibility / statistics & numerical data*
  • Hispanic or Latino / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Income
  • Logistic Models
  • Medically Uninsured / statistics & numerical data
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Rhode Island