Barriers to Accessing and Utilizing Preventative Healthcare for the U.S. Hispanic Population

Background: Utilization of healthcare in U.S. Hispanic populations is significantly lower compared to other population groups in the U.S. Many of the prevalent health conditions in the Hispanic population are ones that can be prevented or at least have better outcomes if detected and treated earlier. Despite the understanding that the Hispanic population is rapidly increasing and the growing concern of underutilization of healthcare services amongst Hispanics, there are limited studies that identify factors affecting healthcare access and utilization for this target population. Objectives: The purpose of this integrative literature review is to identify barriers to accessing and utilizing preventative healthcare within the U.S. Hispanic population and its relationship with poorer health prognoses. Method: An integrative literature review was conducted to determine barriers to preventative healthcare for the Hispanic population living in the U.S. Data regarding the barriers, as well as types of preventative health services that were non-accessible as a result, were extracted and categorized according to common themes. Findings/Results: Three major categories of barriers to preventative healthcare were identified: cognitive, structural and financial. The health services that were identified as being inaccessible due to these barriers were: cervical cancer screenings; colorectal cancer screenings; screening mammograms; HIV testing; preventive screenings for diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol; and outpatient care for chronic conditions. Conclusion: This integrative literature review identified cognitive, structural and financial barriers to accessing and utilizing preventative healthcare within the U.S. Hispanic population. Furthermore, these barriers were found to be linked to declines in medical examinations and workups, delayed medical attention and even failure to receive medical care ultimately ending in poorer health prognoses and discrepancies in health