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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2006.096222v1 AJPH.2006.096222v2 98/11/2011    most recent Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Nandi, A. Articles by Ompad, D. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nandi, A. Articles by Ompad, D. C. Related Collections Epidemiology Managed Care Access to Care Hispanics/Latinos Urban Health

Arijit Nandi, MPH, Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, Gerald Lopez, JD, Vijay Nandi, MPH, Stacey Strongarone, JD and Danielle C. Ompad, PhD

Arijit Nandi is with the Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md. Sandro Galea is with the Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor. Gerald Lopez and Stacey Strongarone are with the Center for Community Problem Solving, New York University School of Law, New York. Vijay Nandi and Danielle C. Ompad are with the Center for Urban Epidemiological Studies, New York Academy of Medicine, New York.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Sandro Galea, Dept of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 109 Observatory Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (e-mail: sgalea{at}umich.edu).

Objectives. We assessed access to and use of health services among Mexican-born undocumented immigrants living in New York City in 2004.

Methods. We used venue-based sampling to recruit participants from locations where undocumented immigrants were likely to congregate. Participants were 18 years or older, born in Mexico, and current residents of New York City. The main outcome measures were health insurance coverage, access to a regular health care provider, and emergency department care.

Results. In multivariable models, living in a residence with fewer other adults, linguistic acculturation, higher levels of formal income, higher levels of social support, and poor health were associated with health insurance coverage. Female gender, fewer children, arrival before 1997, higher levels of formal income, health insurance coverage, greater social support, and not reporting discrimination were associated with access to a regular health care provider. Higher levels of education, higher levels of formal income, and poor health were associated with emergency department care.

Conclusions. Absent large-scale political solutions to the challenges of undocumented immigrants, policies that address factors shown to limit access to care may improve health among this growing population.