LOS ANGELES -- More Latinos turn to television and radio for
health information rather than consult a doctor, raising concerns
for a population expected to double by 2050, according to a report
released today.
The report by the Pew Hispanic Center also found that half of
high school-educated Latinos don't seek regular medical care and
that more American-born Latinos use folk medicine than Latinos
living here who were born outside the U.S.
Of most concern to some doctors are Spanish-language television
and radio ads promising miracle cures for everything from weight
loss to male impotency and cancer.
The fact that so many Latinos rely on broadcast media for health
news is both good and bad, said Dr. Glenn Lopez, an assistant
professor in UCLA's Department of Family Medicine.
"I believe there is less control in truth in advertising in the
Spanish media than the English media, because I've seen these
outrageous claims being made about vitamins and other products,"
said Lopez, who studies community health issues in Sun Valley.
"But I am actually very impressed with the Spanish media in
terms of their news coverage. They have a built-in commitment to
getting out a lot of information on health issues, especially with
diabetes."
The Pew study was based on surveys of more than 4,000 Latino
adults nationwide and claims to look at the issue with greater
depth than any other national study.
"When it comes to Latinos, what may appear to be the well-known
effects of socioeconomic inequality on health care may also be
conditioned by unique social, cultural and economic circumstances
confronting both Hispanic immigrants and Hispanics born in the
United States," the report's authors wrote.
The goal of the study is to understand how best to provide
health care for the nation's fastest-growing and most diverse
population, researchers said. Nearly 15 percent of the U.S.
population calls itself Hispanic or Latino, and that is expected to
reach 29 percent in the next four decades.
Researchers took their questions to Latinos of varying ages from
dozens of countries of origin and from different economic and
citizenship statuses to find what health concerns they have, the
diseases that affect them and whether there are enough health
professionals who are culturally aware enough to care for them.
In findings similar to other studies, the Pew researchers
confirmed that foreign-born Latinos who mainly speak Spanish and
lack U.S. citizenship or who have been in the United States for a
short time are less likely than others to go to the doctor
regularly.
But what surprised researchers was that half of Latinos with no
regular medical care are high school graduates, and of those, 30
percent were born in the United States and 45 percent have health
insurance.
"When asked about why they lack a usual provider ... 41 percent
say the principal reason is that they are seldom sick," according
to the report.
Health experts found the responses troubling at a time when
chronic illnesses such as diabetes and obesity are overwhelming the
community.
"The pool of individuals who are U.S.-born and have insurance
still make up a huge number" of those who don't have a regular
doctor, said Dr. Michael Vega, a professor of family medicine at
the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "For individuals who
have chronic issues, this is a very serious problem."
Also surprising to researchers was the role television and other
media play in dispensing health information. Researchers found that
83 percent of those surveyed obtain health information from the
media, with 73 percent saying they act on the information they hear
or read.
About 64 percent of those who answered the question said they
changed the way they thought about diet and exercise because of
something they saw on TV.
Lopez said patients seeking his advice often ask about the
commercials they see, which promise leaner stomachs, shinier hair
or cures for foot fungus. He calls the claims ridiculous and
advises patients not to use the products.
Ricardo Urrutia, a psychology student at California State
University, Northridge, said he could relate to some of the
findings, especially when it comes to Latino men and health care.
Researchers found that 36 percent of Latinos who don't seek
regular care are men, and 37 percent of them are 18 to 29 years
old.
Urrutia, a 22-year-old Salvadoran national who works with the
university's Central American Studies program, said a combination
of machismo and fear might contribute to why men his age don't seek
steady medical care.
Researchers found that in the United States, 31 percent of those
who lack access to health care are from Central America, compared
with 29 percent who are from Mexico, 24 percent from Cuba and 23
percent from South America.
"I feel healthy, but two years ago, I broke my ankle playing
soccer and since that day, I had ... to see a doctor and to buy
health insurance," Urrutia said.
And he can see why TV plays a role in access to health
information.
"For Latino people who watch a lot of TV, everything that TV
says is true," he said. "Many people think the TV is right."
And he says he and his family prefer to see a doctor who speaks
Spanish.
"I don't feel comfortable, because the exam is not in my
language," Urrutia said.
Among the report's other findings:
-- About one in 12 Latinos born in the United States uses folk
medicine, compared with one in 20 of those born in other countries;
11 percent of those of Cuban ancestry are more likely to obtain
such care than other Latino groups.
-- About one in 12 Latinos who live here has obtained medical
care, treatment or drugs in Latin America in the past year, and one
in six said they know a family member or friend who has done so.
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