Understanding Access to Care and Health Needs of Hispanic Women From an Urban Community

As a first step in a proposed program of community-based participatory research, this study investigated access to care and specific health needs in a population of Hispanic women from a medically underserved, urban community. There were 66 Hispanic women recruited at a local church to complete a 94-item researcher-developed survey. Thirty-two percent of women in the study were not U.S. citizens. Being insured, being a citizen, and having a medical diagnosis were significant in satisfaction with care. The most prevalent health issue for this population was being overweight or obese. This study demonstrates the use of the community needs assessment process in the development of interventions to improve a community's health and health care. This is especially true in the Hispanic community in which large variations based on culture and country of origin will impact the success of planned interventions.