Health Disparities and the Influence of Culturally Competent Care in Overall Health and Healthcare Utilization among Hispanics in a Southeastern US Community

Introduction: This study sought to assess disparities in health/healthcare utilization for Hispanic immigrant community in Greenville County, SC. The study also assessed the role of culturally competent care perceptions on health/healthcare utilization within this growing community. Methods: Secondary administrative data collected by a large health care system in the county facilitated the assessment of health/healthcare utilization disparities using multivariate regression. Primary purposive surveys collected among Hispanic adults assessed culturally competent care perceptions and health/healthcare utilization. Culturally competent care measures included: (1) provider understanding, (2) provider communication behaviors, (3) provider assurance, and (4) interpreter service access. Results: Health disparities were present, with Hispanic residents having lower overall health and lower routine healthcare seeking behaviors compared to non-Hispanic White residents. Moreover, culturally competent care perceptions influenced overall health and healthcare-seeking behavior within this growing Hispanic community. Hispanic residents who perceived negative communication behaviors, lack of assurance, and increased interpretive service barriers reported lower overall health and lower routine healthcare seeking behaviors. Conclusions: Addressing potential cultural competency barriers may reduce health disparities among underrepresented racial/ethnic communities as they grow and become established in the Southeast, while also improving broader health equity for all communities.