Use of healthcare services in immigrant women in the Community of Madrid
Section: Cover story
How to quote
Sanz B, Castillo S, Mazarrasa L. Uso de los servicios sanitarios en las mujeres inmigrantes de la Comunidad de Madrid. Metas de Enfermería feb 2004; 7(1): 26-32
Authors
1Belén Sanz Barbero, 2Susana Castillo Rodríguez, 3Lucía Mazarrasa Alvear
Position
1Dra. en Farmacia, Centro Nacional de Medicina Tropical. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. 2Doctora en Antropología Social, Profesora Asociada de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. 3Enfermera Instructora de Sanidad. Escuela Nacional de Sanidad. Instituto de Salud Carlos III.
Contact address
Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Pabellón 6. C/ Sinesio Delgado, 8. 28029 Madrid.
Abstract
Objective: To identify the factors that condition the use of healthcare services amongst immigrant women in the Community of Madrid.
Material and methods: Cross-sectional study on the immigrant women population of Philippine, Moroccan, and Ecuadorian nationality, over the age of 15. Two hundred and eighty women were selected using suitable sampling. A translated and adapted questionnaire was used as a measurement tool. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used for data analysis.
Results: 91% of the respondents answered the test. The study population presents a high degree of healthcare cover (public and/or private) (77,6%). The majority had been ill at some point after arrival in Spain )70%) and 81,1% of the population used healthcare services in the last episode of experienced morbidity. The use of healthcare services is associated with the administrative status of the women (OR 3,7 [1,1; 13,6]). Non-use of the services is linked to the lack of perceived severity of the condition. The use of gynaecological services in Spain for reasons other than pregnancy or delivery is low (42,3%). This is associated to an inability to read or write in Spanish (OR 3,6 [1,5; 8,5]) and also to a lack of a stable cohabitee relationship (OR 2,2 [1,3; 3,9])
Conclusions: A group of the population has no normal access to healthcare services. This makes the population vulnerable from a healthcare point of view with an urgent need to find emergency solutions. The use of gynaecological services is low and is associated to not knowing how to read or write in Spanish. Thus, the vias used to bring healthcare services closer to this target population may not be the most appropriate ones.
Keywords:
Immigration; healthcare serviceswomen
Versión en Español
Título:
Uso de los servicios sanitarios en las mujeres inmigrantes de la Comunidad de Madrid