Differential patterns of healthcare service use among Chinese and Korean immigrant elders.

Limited research has analyzed healthcare utilization of Asian immigrant elders who live in geographic areas without supportive ethnic communities. To address this gap in literature, Kang, Kim, and Kim examined the predisposing, enabling and need factor correlates affecting healthcare service use of Chinese and Korean elders in Arizona. For both subgroups, familial support of the elder is an important factor in increasing elders' healthcare utilization, whereas intergenerational differences may impact elders' healthcare usage. Despite these similarities between Chinese and Korean elders in Arizona, the results revealed more differences between the two subgroups in terms of factors related to healthcare utilization than similarities. Therefore, it is imperative for healthcare providers to understand the unique differences between heterogeneous Asian groups and implement interventions specific to each subgroup's needs and characteristics rather than attempting to consider all Asian subgroups with the same interventions. (Immigrant Integration Lab)

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