The general objective of the study is to contribute to the understanding of the factors associated with the utilization of health and social services in a national sample of 2,299 noninstitutionalized Hispanics ages 65 and over in the U.S., including Puerto Rican-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Cuban-Americans, and other Hispanics. The small body of literature available on the utilization behavior of this population indicates that their health needs are many, their utilization of health services is greater than for all other groups of elderly, and that their utilization of social services is minimal indeed. The specific objectives of the research project are: 1) to evaluate the relationship between sociodemographic and health characteristics and use of health services among elderly Hispanics, 2) to examine the relationship between sociodemographic and health characteristics and the use of social services among elderly Hispanics, 3) to determine the relative influence of sociodemographic and health characteristics on the use of both health and social services by elderly Hispanics, and 4) to discuss the relevance of the study's findings for the development and delivery of health and social services aimed at meeting the needs of community-based elderly Hispanics in the U.S. The data to be used in this study come from the Survey of Elderly Hispanics, sponsored by The Commonwealth Fund Commission on Elderly People Living Alone, and conducted in 1988. The analysis will use bivariate and multivariate techniques including contingency tables and polychotomous logistic regression. The dependent variable consists of four outcomes: use of health services only, use of social services only, use of both health and social services, and use of neither type of service. Comparisons among and between the four subgroups represented in the sample will be performed as appropriate and as the data available allow. The study will use the Andersen and Newman (1973) model of access to health care. For the purpose of this study the model will be modified to include both types of services, as has been done recently by other researchers in the field.
