Ransford H Edward, Carrillo Frank R, Rivera Yessenia
Department of Sociology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90089-2539, California, USA.
J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2010 Aug;21(3):862-78. doi: 10.1353/hpu.0.0348.
Barriers to health care and use of cultural alternatives are studied from open-ended interviews of 96 Latino immigrants, 12 hometown association leaders, and five pastors and health outreach workers. Frequently mentioned barriers to approaching hospitals and clinics included problems in communication, establishing financial eligibility, and extremely long waits for service. We found frequent use of cultural alternatives, such as herbal medications, obtaining care from Mexican doctors, and some use of traditional healers. The role of religiosity is studied: prayer is viewed as fundamental to health, but the church is not perceived as an aid in physical health-seeking. Health care for Latino immigrants often involves a blend of mainstream and traditional medicine; the study discusses examples of respondents who navigate between the two systems within the interplay of culture and structure.
通过对96名拉丁裔移民、12名同乡会领袖以及5名牧师和健康推广工作者进行开放式访谈，研究了医疗保健障碍和文化替代疗法的使用情况。经常提到的前往医院和诊所的障碍包括沟通问题、确定财务资格以及等待服务的时间极长。我们发现文化替代疗法被频繁使用，比如草药、寻求墨西哥医生的治疗以及一些传统治疗师的治疗。研究了宗教信仰的作用：祈祷被视为健康的基础，但教会并未被视为寻求身体健康帮助的途径。拉丁裔移民的医疗保健通常涉及主流医学和传统医学的结合；该研究讨论了在文化和结构相互作用下在这两种体系之间转换的受访者的例子。
