January 31, 1997 University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs
Contact:
Danny Chun, (312) 996-2269, [email protected]
Latinos have high levels of unmet health needs or encounter many barriers in gaining access to the health-care system, and once they enter the health-care system, at times they do not receive the full benefits of medical care.
Those are some of the findings of a new series of studies, several of them sponsored or conducted by the University of Illinois at Chicago's Midwest Latino Health Research, Training and Policy Center and School of Public Health.
The new studies have been published in a special issue of the Journal of Medical Systems.
"Very little research has been done on the health of the Latino population," says Aida L. Giachello, guest editor of the special issue and director of UIC's Midwest Latino Health Research, Training and Policy Center. "These studies indicate that health-care providers need to take a much closer look at how they deliver health care to poor and ethnic communities. We hope the studies can provide some strategic directions leading to more meaningful and culturally appropriate health-care planning, assessment, treatment and intervention programs."
Giachello says two of the more important findings from the research conducted at UIC focus on health care for Latinos who have asthma or diabetes.
In one article, "Practice Variations in Treating Minority Asthmatics in Chicago," UIC researchers present findings that both African Americans and Latinos in Chicago with moderate to severe asthma are not receiving care consistent with national treatment guidelines. Latinos receive less of the recommended therapies than African Americans, who nationally have the fastest-rising death rate from asthma.
The study focused on 138 Latino and African-American asthmatics receiving regular medical care who sought treatment in emergency departments at Chicago-area hospitals. Research showed that only 9 percent of Latinos were provided peak-flow meters and less than half of Latinos received medications, such as oral steroids, and written instructions on how to deal with asthma problems at home. In comparison, one-third of African-Americans were provided with peak-flow meters and about three-quarters were given medications and instructions on how to deal with asthma problems at home.
The authors stress the need for educational programs for both patients and health-care providers so they can improve adherence to national treatment guidelines and for health-care systems to evaluate, promote and monitor standards of care among practitioners.
Another article, "Factors Affecting Diabetes Treatment and Patient Education Among Latinos: Results of a Preliminary Study in Chicago," discusses findings of a UIC study on Latino diabetes patients' knowledge and behaviors and the effectiveness of the outpatient care they received at primary care facilities. Through interviews with 101 Latino patients at three clinics in Chicago, the researchers found that many patients demonstrated a basic understanding of the diabetes disease process and more than half reported healthy lifestyles. The study found, however, that recommended clinical treatment and follow-up were not uniformly provided at the facilities. The authors suggest greater efforts to bring national diabetes treatment recommendations to the attention of primary-care physicians.
The special issue of the Journal of Medical Systems includes several other articles on Latino health studies:
-- "Risk Factors for Invasive Cervical Cancer for Latino Women" focuses on structural, behavioral, biological and genetic risk factor differences that may explain the higher incidence of invasive cervical cancer among Latino women compared to non-Latino white and African-American women;
-- "Indicators of Oral Health in Diverse Ethnic and Age Groups" discusses findings of a definitive oral health gap between whites and ethnic minority groups and alternative health promotion strategies to improve the health of diverse populations;
-- "Prenatal Care Experiences and Birth Weight Among Mexican Immigrant Women" explores ways to improve access to care for this group and the impact of migration and communication in prenatal care; and
-- "The Role of Latino/Hispanic Communities in Health Services Research: Strategies for a Meaningful Partnership" focuses on the need for collaboration between community organizations and health researchers to ensure the successful implementation of health programs among low-income racial and ethnic communities.
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