Background: Immigration is a relevant public health issue and there is a great deal of controversy surrounding its impact on health
services utilization.
Objective: To determine diff erences between immigrants and non-immigrants in the utilization of primary health care services in
Catalonia, Spain.
Methods: Population based, ...»»»»
Background: Immigration is a relevant public health issue and there is a great deal of controversy surrounding its impact on health
services utilization.
Objective: To determine diff erences between immigrants and non-immigrants in the utilization of primary health care services in
Catalonia, Spain.
Methods: Population based, cross-sectional, multicentre study. We used the information from 16 primary health care centres in an
area near Barcelona, Spain. We conducted a multilevel analysis for the year 2008 to compare primary health care services utilization
between all immigrants aged 15 or more and a sample of non-immigrants, paired by age and sex.
Results: Overall, immigrants living in Spain used health services more than non-immigrants (Incidence Risk Ratio (IRR) 1.16 (95%
Confi dence Interval (CI): 1.15 – 1.16) and (IRR 1, 26, 95% CI: 1.25 – 1.28) for consultations with GPs and referrals to specialized care,
respectively. People coming from the Maghreb and the rest of Africa requested the most consultations involving a GP and nurses
(IRR 1.34, 95% CI: 1.33 – 1.36 and IRR 1.06, 95% CI: 1.03 – 1.44, respectively). They were more frequently referred to specialized care
(IRR 1.44, 95% CI: 1.41 – 1.46) when compared to Spaniards. Immigrants from Asia had the lowest numbers of consultations with a
GP and referrals (IRR 0.76, 95% CI: 0.66 – 0.88 and IRR 0.76, 95% CI: 0.61 – 0.95, respectively.
Conclusion: On average , immigrants living in Catalonia used the health services more than non-immigrants. Immigrants from the
Maghreb and other African countries showed the highest and those from Asia the lowest, number of consultations and referrals to
specialized care.^^^^