Disparities in health status and health-service utilization among Hispanic ethnic subgroups.

Using nationally representative National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data from 1999 through 2002, this study examines the health services access and utilization patterns of U.S. Hispanic adolescents under age 18 years classified as: Cubans, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, Mexicans or Mexican Americans, Central and South Americans, and mixed Hispanic and non-Hispanic White. Consistent with previous studies on ethnic patterns in child and adult health, Hispanic American children do better than non-Hispanic Whites with respect to certain health status measures such as school absence. There is considerable heterogeneity in health status and health care utilization in the Hispanic subgroup, indicating the necessity of separating Hispanic subgroups for analytic purposes.