Factors Affecting Utilization of Health Services and Home- and Community-Based Care Programs by Older Taiwanese in the United States

Abstract

This article examines factors that affect the utilization of health care services and home- and community-based care (HCBC) programs by older Taiwanese, a rapidly growing and newly arrived immigrant group. Currently, knowledge about the health status and utilization of health-related services among newly arrived Asians is limited. This article analyzed data from the 1994 Southern California Taiwanese American Elderly Survey (n = 240) based on a modified Andersen behavioral model that included both cultural and structural variables. Significant variables included health needs, cultural beliefs, and socioeconomic and structural variables; however, variables predicting utilization of health services and HCBC programs were different. Implications for both gerontological research and practice include the following: (1) Future programs addressing service utilizations by older Taiwanese should be culturally sensitive and consider family as a unit of intervention, and (2) more multidisciplinary research should explore how cultural and structural variables contribute to service utilization among newly arrived elderly Asian immigrants.

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