Supporting Underserved Communities for Health Care: US Immigrants' Experiences with Social Support

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Social support is linked to better health outcomes but is under-researched in US immigrant populations.
• This study investigates perceived health provider support and community support among US immigrants.
• It also characterizes social support perceptions in this demographic compared to nonimmigrants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare social support perceptions between US immigrants and nonimmigrants.
• To identify specific types of social support that may be lacking for US immigrants.
• To inform future research on social support interventions for immigrant health.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional data analysis using the Health Information National Trends Survey 5, Cycle 2.
• Self-reported data collected from a representative sample.
• Population-level estimates calculated using jack-knife replicate weights.

Main Results:

• Immigrant status did not significantly affect perceived health care provider support or community support.
• US immigrants were significantly more likely than nonimmigrants to report rarely or never receiving emotional support (aORs=3.07 and 3.18, respectively).

Conclusions:

• While general social support may be comparable, US immigrants face greater barriers to accessing emotional support.
• Further research should explore factors like time since arrival to understand social support nuances in diverse immigrant groups.
• Addressing these gaps is crucial for improving health outcomes in this underserved population.