| Description |
The relationship between the reported health status of 92 Job Corpsmen and their use of health care services at Clearfield Job Corps, Clearfield, Utah, was studied by interviewing each student using a thirty-one item questionnaire in regard to the following broad areas: their present reported health status, whether or not they use the clinic after the initial medical examination, the reasons for their subsequent use of the clinic. When on controls for sex and educational level, a statistically meaningful relationship between reported health status and the use of the clinic doe not exist. However, when one control for ethnic background, there is a relationship, but only when American Indian, Southeast Asian, and Spanish-speaking student are grouped together and contrasted to whites and blacks. Twenty-three percent of the representative sample of 1,450 students at Clearfield have one or more diseases. Acute bronchitis represents 62% of the most common health problems (52% of the males; 73% pf the females). Utilization levels are uneven ethnic categories. Eighty-six percent of the student use the clinic, whereas only 58 of the Southeast Asian student go to the clinic after the initial examination. The Southeast Asian student makes less than 2.0 visits per length of stay at Clearfield, in comparison to twice as many visits for any of the other cultures represented. Possibly the utilization level of the Southeast Asian student is due to a concept of disease that is contrary to the Western biomedical concept employed by the clinic. This possibility is further suggest by the Southeast Asian student's preference for staff who "speak their language," which would include an understanding of a Southeast Asian's concept of disease. What has just been said also applies to the American Indian, and to a lesser extent to the Spanish-speaking male (but not the female). Policies and procedures that are operational in the clinical may have a negative influence on the level of utilization by the students. This suggested by a strong interest in changing the sick call hours, doing away with the referral system or modifying it, and providing services in a friendly and timely manner. |
