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Predictors of Healthcare Access and Utilization by Syrian Americans in the United States

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Abstract

There are currently no studies examining healthcare access and utilization by Syrian Americans. A better understanding of the determinants of healthcare utilization among this group could help aid in the design of culturally competent programs. A self-administered survey was distributed at events across Southern California and Jacksonville, Florida from January 2018 to May 2019. Statistical analysis utilized multivariate regressions. Insurance coverage was associated with a preference for speaking Arabic (OR 0.433, p = 0.02) and increased length of residency (OR 1.04, p = 0.02). Routine checkup was associated with female sex (OR 1.97, p = 0.001), age (OR 1.05, p < 0.001), and insurance coverage (OR 6.96, p < 0.001). Colonoscopy compliance rate was 43.3% and positively associated with higher education (OR 2.70, p = 0.002), routine checkup (OR 7.61, p = 0.009) and increased length of residency (OR 1.06, p < 0.001). Syrian Americans may benefit from further health promotion campaigns with regard to insurance coverage, preventative care and cancer screenings.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA

    Jamil S. Samaan

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, 1975 Zonal Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA

    Isabel Nakoud, Revan Barakat, Amanda Awil, Shatha Wahbi, Zouhour Habhab, Jovana F. Mahho, Karam Ashouri, Dillon Eskandar, Mary Zeidan & Mellissa Withers

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Contributions

Conceptualization: JSS, IN, RB, AA, SW, ZH, JFM, KA, DE, MZ and MW. Data curation: JSS, IN, RB, AA, SW, ZH, JFM, KA, DE and MZ. Formal analysis: JSS and IN. Writing-original draft: JSS and IN. Writing- review & editing: JSS, IN, RB, AA, SW, ZH, JFM, KA, DE, MZ and MW.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jamil S. Samaan.

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Conflict of interest

Jamil S. Samaan, Isabel Nakoud, Revan Barakat, Amanda Awil, Shatha Wahbi, Zouhour Habhab, Jovana F. Mahho, Karam Ashouri, Dillon Eskandar, Mary Zeidan and Mellissa Withers have no conflicts of interest or financial ties to disclose. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Ethical Approval

Our study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Southern California Health Sciences Campus and certify that the study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The questionnaire and methodology for this study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Southern California Health Sciences Campus (iStar ID:HS-18-00002).

Informed Consent

All participants were provided their rights as a participant which was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Southern California Health Sciences Campus. Their rights were provided both verbally and written in their preferred language. Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to participation.

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Samaan, J.S., Nakoud, I., Barakat, R. et al. Predictors of Healthcare Access and Utilization by Syrian Americans in the United States. J Immigrant Minority Health 24, 136–144 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01133-z

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