Utilization of Preventative Healthcare by Native and Non-Native Speakers of English. Commissioned Paper

Barriers to accessing preventive care, and healthcare in general, include lack of language proficiency (Chang, Chan, & Han, 2015; Lebrun, 2012; Ponce et al., 2006; DeRose, Escarce, & Lurie, 2007; Jacobs, Chen, Karliner, Agger-Gupta, & Mutha, 2006), inability to afford health care (Aguilera & Massey, 2003), lack of health insurance (Pylypchuk & Hudson, 2009), and lack of information about health conditions and services (Perreira et al., 2012). Underutilization of health care services is directly associated with poorer health conditions, such as longer stays in hospital, more serious health problems, and heightened mortality rates (Pylypchuk & Hudson, 2009). This paper examines some of the factors affecting preventive healthcare utilization (PHCU) among non-native speakers of English in the United States. A number of studies related to the utilization of healthcare focus on the immigrant status of participants (being born in a country other than the US, in case of immigrants to the US). The term "non-native speakers of English" may sometimes be used to refer to the population identified as immigrants (those who were not born in the United States, but moved here later in life), however non-native speaker status is not necessarily equal to immigrant status. It compares PHCU for the following two groups: native speakers of English, and non-native speakers of English, regardless of their immigration status. The emphasis on language status is made due to the fact that in addition to the demographic factors that impact PHCU, it also examines factors related to language skills within the nonnative speaker group.