Background: Despite health disparities in preventive care among adult female immigrants, the extent to which their health service utilization is influenced by a cancer history remains largely unknown.
Methods: Using Andersen's behavioral model, 2007-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data were analyzed to examine the influence of a cancer history on health service utilization among adult immigrant women. Multivariate logistic regression models assessed factors related to past year health care utilization, operationalized as an outpatient doctor's visit and an inpatient overnight hospital stay.
Results: Once other factors were considered, a past cancer history increased the likelihood of a past year inpatient overnight hospital stay, but was not associated with a past year outpatient doctor's visit.
Discussion: An outpatient doctor's visit for adult female immigrant cancer survivors would provide an opportunity for essential preventive health services. They must be educated about the importance of ongoing outpatient care for cancer surveillance and health maintenance.
Keywords: Cancer history; Cancer survivors; Female; Healthcare utilization; Immigrants/migrants.