Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities for Women of Childbearing Age: Continuity and Perceptions of Care.

This paper assesses the racial and ethnic differences in the continuity of care by a regular physician and the patient's perceptions of the caring attitudes of their physician. Using a national probability sample (N=2,460) of women ages 25-45 and logistic regression models, we find that Hispanic women are about half as likely as non-Hispanic White women to have a regular physician. Even of women who have regular physicians, Hispanic women are about half as likely as non-Hispanic White women to report that their physician "cares at lot." Socioeconomic status, as measured by years of education, explains some, but not all, of the relationship. These findings contribute important information to the health disparities literature; patient perceptions of the caring attitudes by their physicians provide insight on the patient/physician relationship. Future research can utilize these findings to determine if these patient perceptions of their physicians' caring attitudes in turn affect satisfaction with care, likelihood of seeking treatment, and ultimately, overall health. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]