Do Ethnic Groups Use Health Services like the Majority of the Population? A Study from Quebec, Canada

Type of resource
Authors/collaborators
Title
Do Ethnic Groups Use Health Services like the Majority of the Population? A Study from Quebec, Canada
Abstract
The authors compared the use of medical services over a period of one year by members of ethnic groups and native Quebecers. Their objective was to determine whether the two groups made the same number of medical visits to the same sites (private offices, outpatient clinic and emergency room and hospital inpatient care) and the same types of physicians (general practitioners, specialists). Members of ethnic groups aged 15 years and older were individually matched to native Quebecers having the same six characteristics (age, gender, household income, access to health care facilities, perceived health and overall health). Their sample size was 1182 (divided equally into the two study groups). The author study results showed that neither the average number of medical services used over a year by the two groups nor the number of users differed. However, ethnic groups made more visits to specialists in private offices. Although not definite, the authors discuss possible explanations of these results. They concluded that health care professionals should be sensitive to the particular needs of ethnic groups in order to provide them with accessible and appropriate services.
Publication
Social Science & Medicine
Volume
Vol. 48
Issue
no. 9
Pages
1237-1245
Date
May 1999
Language
en
Citation
Blais, Regis, and A. Maïga. “Do Ethnic Groups Use Health Services like the Majority of the Population? A Study from Quebec, Canada.” Social Science & Medicine Vol. 48, no. 9 (May 1999): 1237–1245.
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