| The purpose of this study was to examine women's health care utilization and depression in a rural area of Mexico through the use of archival data. Health needs of women in rural areas of Mexico are frequently unmet and services to meet these needs are limited. The double-burden of disease in Mexico has contributed to unmet health care needs. To address this issue, Mexico reformed its health care system (Frenk, Gonzalez-Pier, GomezDantes, Lezana, & Knaul, 2006). This reform was meant to extend health care coverage to those who are uninsured, like the majority of women living in rural areas, through the addition of Seguro Popular (Gonzalez-Pier et al., 2006). Although Mexico's health care reform has increased health care coverage overall, the health care needs of many rural Mexican women remain underserved (Ferguson, 2010). A model of health care utilization was used to provide insight as to why the health care needs of this population go unmet. Little research has been conducted on a culturally relevant model of health care utilization with a Mexican population (Castro & Hernandez, 2004).;The first objective of this study seeks to enhance the understanding of health care service utilization in a rural Mexican women population by applying Andersen's (1968) Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. Andersen's model has been deemed appropriate for an urban Mexican population, but has not been applied in rural regions of Mexico (Barrios, 2009; Salinas, Al Snih, Markides, Ray, & Angel, 2010). This model asserts that one's utilization of health care services depends on factors which enable or hinder use, predisposition to use services, and a need for care. This study will examine these three factors in relationship to receiving treatment in the archival data. Predisposing factors will be analyzed with the variables marital status, number of children, and education. Enabling factors will be assessed with the presence or absence of insurance, travel distance to health care services, and money constraints. A need for health care services will be measured with self-reported medical problems.;The second objective of this study is to explore the relationship between depression symptoms and medical problems in rural Mexican women. Little research has been conducted in Mexico on the epidemiology of depression (Slone et al., 2006) and most of the research that has been conducted took place in urban areas of Mexico (Salgado de Snyder, Diaz-Perez, Maldonado, & Boutista, 1998). This study will explore the relationship between depressive symptoms and self reported medical problems. In summary, the aims of the present study are to explore 1) the relevancy of Andersen's (1968) Behavioral Model of Health Services Use for a rural Mexican women population and 2) the relationship between depressive symptoms and medical issues in this population. |
