Marieke van der Gaag|Iris van der Heide|Peter Spreeuwenberg|A. Brabers|Jany Rademakers
Health literacy and primary health care use of ethnic minorities in the Netherlands
Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research|Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research|Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research|Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research|Maastricht University
netherlands ethnic minority populations visit general practitioner gp often indigenous population explanation association lacking recently health literacy suggested possible explaining mechanism internationally associations health literacy health care use ethnicity health literacy studied separately far linked netherlands expectations expressed regard supposed low health literacy ethnic minority groups however empirical study done far objectives study therefore acquire insight level health literacy ethnic minorities netherlands examine whether relationship ethnicity health care use partly explained health literacya questionnaire sent sample 2116 members dutch health care consumer panel response rate 46 89 respondents nonwestern origin health literacy measured health literacy questionnaire hlq covers nine different domains health literacy levels ethnic minority groups compared indigenous population negative binomial regression model used estimate association ethnicity gp visits examine whether health literacy explaining factor association health literacy interaction terms health literacy ethnicity added modeldifferences levels health literacy found turkish population indigenous dutch population study also found association ethnicity gp visits ethnic minorities visit gp 33 often indigenous population three domains hlq ability navigate health care system ability find information read understand health information partly explained association ethnicity gp visitsin general differences health literacy ethnic minority groups netherlands indigenous dutch population turkish population scored significantly lower several health literacy domains domains health literacy explain association ethnicity higher frequency gp visits research recommended understand pathways health literacy impacts health care use