June 4, 2010
Why do Latinas avoid the doctor? Study investigates
Posted: 06:12 PM ET
By: Sabriya Rice
CNN Medical Producer

Social and cultural factors may play just as big a role as economics in the poor health care outcomes of Latinas, a new study finds.

The small study, published in the journal Ethnicity and Disease, looked at Latinas in upstate New York found that 70 percent of the women reported delaying doctor appointments, even though nearly all had insurance and over half had diagnoses of chronic medical conditions including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

"Diagnosis should typically motivate you to seek further attention," says Janie Jurkowski, an assistant professor at the University at Albany's School of Public Health and lead author of the study. "It's really quite scary and striking to see that even with a chronic disease people are delaying care.â€