Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Exploring Direct And Indirect Effects Of English Proficiency On Access, Utilization, And Health Status Among Californian Adults With Limited English Proficiency (Lep), Renee E. Pierre-Louis

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background and Study Purpose: Findings from previous studies suggest that, in a health care delivery context, individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) are adversely impacted by lack of patient-provider language concordance. Yet, the concept of LEP has been mostly studied in the context of cultural competence and language has been generally considered a demographic or cultural characteristic. There is a growing body of research concerning LEP and health status; however, it is limited. This study sought to evaluate the effects of LEP on access, utilization, and self-rated health status (SRHS) among LEP respondents to a large health interview survey …