AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF
David Michael Carne for the degree of Honors Baccalaureate of Science in Biology
presented on May 29, 2002. Title: Hispanic and Farmworker Health: A Community
Health Survey of Hood River County, Oregon.
Abstract approved:
________________________________________________________
Dr. Chunhuei Chi
Hispanics in Hood River County, Oregon account for roughly 25% of the
population, with many employed in agriculture. A community health survey was carried
out in Hood River County during the winter months of 2001 with the purpose of
evaluating the health conditions, needs, and barriers to access of needed health care
among the county’s residents. Hispanics were concluded to have medical and dental
health conditions, needs, and barriers to access of health care that were significantly
associated with their ethnicity. Suggestions include increased culturally-appropriate
health care promotion, careful evaluation of survey questions used to evaluate selfassessed health status, and further study to determine methods for accurately targeting
needy county residents that experience barriers to needed health care.
©Copyright by David M. Carne
May 29, 2002
All rights reserved
Hispanic and Farmworker Health:
A Community Health Survey of Hood River County, Oregon.
by
David Michael Carne
A PROJECT
submitted to
Oregon State University
University Honors College
in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the
degree of
Honors Bachelors of Science in Biology (Honors Associate)
Presented May 29, 2002
Commencement June 2002
Honors Bachelor of Science in Biology project of David Michael Carne presented on
May 29, 2002.
APPROVED:
Dr. Chunhuei Chi, representing Public Health
Dr. Juan A. Trujillo, representing Foreign Languages and Literature
Mr. Thomas Brundage, representing Oregon Health Division
Dr. Jon Hendricks, Dean University Honors College
I understand that my project will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon
State University, University Honors College. My signature below authorizes release of
my project to any reader upon request.
David M. Carne, Author
I wish to thank the staff of La Clínica del Cariño in Hood River, Oregon,
especially Lorena Sprager and Dr. Tina Castañares for their permission to work with the
survey as well as their encouragement of Hispanic health care in Hood River County.
Special thanks goes to Thomas Brundage of the Oregon Health Divison, whose statistical
knowledge and assistance was invaluable to this project. Dr. Chi has been excellent in
directing this project and helping the inexperienced through common pitfalls in preparing
a thesis, and is very gratefully acknowledged.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Chapter I INTRODUCTION.…………………………………………………………1
Terms…………………………………………………………………………..2
Research Questions…………………………………………………………….3
Significance of the Study………………………………………………………3
Chapter II LITERATURE REVIEW ……..…………………………………………..4
2.1 Hispanic Access and Barriers to Health Care………….………………….….4
2.2 Hispanic Health Conditions and Factors Involved…..………………….……8
2.3 Farmworker Health…………………………………………………….…....11
2.4 Demographics of Hood River County Hispanics…………………….……..13
2.5 Discussion and Summary of Literature Review……………………….……15
Chapter III RESEARCH METHODS……………………………………………..……18
3.1 How the Data Were Collected………………………...……………………18
3.2 Key Concepts and Variables Defined………………..………………….….21
3.3 Methods of Analysis………………………………………...……………...23
Chapter IV RESULTS OF THE SURVEY………………….………………………….25
4.1 Social Demographic Background of the Study Population...……………….25
General Demographics……………………………………….……….....25
4.2 Top Health Conditions………………………………………………………27
4.3 Health Need…………………………………………………………………28
4.4 Barriers to Health Care………………………………………………...……30
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Insurance Information………………………………………………...….30
By age…………………………………………………………....33
By gender……………………………………………………..….34
By education…………………………………………………..…35
By need……………………………………………………….….36
4.5 Use of Care…………………………………….………………………..…..37
4.6 Chi-square Analyses……………………………………………………..….42
Chapter V CONCLUSIONS………………………………………………………..…...47
5.1 Summary of Findings…………………………………………………..……47
5.2 Implications of Research Findings……………………………………..……51
5.3 Limitations of Research……………………………………………….…….52
5.4 Recommendations for Further Study………………………………….…….53
BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………….….55
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure
Page
4.1
General age trends by survey type……………………………………….…..….26
4.2
Top reported health conditions for the Spanish Survey……………….….….….27
4.3
Top reported health conditions for the English Survey…………….….…….….28
4.4
Comparison of both surveys as to respondent’s dental health……….……….…29
4.5
Percent currently uninsured and never insured by ethnicity and farmwork……..31
4.6
Those never insured by ethnicity within each age group…………………….….33
4.7
Currently uninsured respondents by ethnicity within each age group…………..34
4.8
Health care issues and barriers by ethnicity and farmwork……………………..39
4.9
Those who have not seen a doctor in a year by age and ethnicity………………40
4.10
Those who have a medical condition requiring regular care from a doctor
by age and ethnicity……………………………………………………………..41
LIST OF TABLES
Table
Page
3.1
Key concepts and variables used to address the research questions……...……...22
4.1
Basic demographics by survey type…………………………………..…….……26
4.2
Male and Female comparison of those uninsured…………………..………....…35
4.3
Use of care issues by survey type………………………….…………………….37
4.4
Farmworker and non-Farmworker use of care issues by ethnicity………………38
4.5
Association between Health Insurance and Doctor Barriers, and
Health need and Medical Condition Need……………………………………….42
4.6
Association between Barriers and Ethnicity……………………………………..43
4.7
Association between Ethnicity and Health and Dental Need……………………43
4.8
Association between Ethnicity and Adverse Health Conditions…….…………..44
4.9
Association between Health Insurance Barrier and Doctor and
Dentist Barriers…………………………………………………………………..44
4.10
Association between Dental Need and Health Insurance Barrier………………..45
4.11
Associatin between Dentist Barrier and Dental Need and Condition……………45
4.12
Association between Insurance and Doctor Barriers and Health
Conditions………………………………………………………………………..45
Dedicated to my wife Kristi and father Bruce, who greatly facilitated and encouraged me
in this project, and my mother Jan, who wanted to see the completion of this project, but
was unable to do so.