Racial and Citizenship Disparities in Health Care Among Middle Eastern Americans.

OBJECTIVE

To assess differences in health access and utilization among Middle Eastern American adults by White racial identity and citizenship.

METHODS

Data from the 2011 to 2018 National Health Interview Surveys (N=1013) and survey-weighted logistic regression analyses compare Middle Eastern immigrants by race and citizenship on access and utilization of health care in the United States.

RESULTS

White respondents had 71% lower odds of delaying care [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=0.34; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.13, 0.71] and 84% lower odds of being rejected by a doctor as a new patient (AOR=0.16; 95% CI=0.03, 0.88) compared to non-White respondents. US citizens had higher odds of visiting the doctor in the past 12 months compared with noncitizens (AOR=1.76; 95% CI=1.25, 2.76).

CONCLUSION

Middle Eastern immigrants who do not identify as White and who are not US citizens are significantly less likely to access and utilize health care compared with those who identify as White and are US citizens.

POLICY IMPLICATIONS

This study shows that racial and citizenship disparities persist among Middle Eastern Americans at a national-level, playing a critical role in access to and use of health care.