INDICATORS OF DIFFERENCES IN IMMUNIZATION RATES OF MEXICAN-AMERICAN AND WHITE NON-HISPANIC INFANTS IN A MEDICAID MANAGED CARE SYSTEM

Immunization levels of Mexican American and white non-Hispanic infants enrolled in Arizona's Medicaid managed care demonstration project, a prototype of the model proposed for a reformed health care system, wer e compared and the influence of sociodemographic characteristics, accu lturation levels, health beliefs of the mothers, and infant health sta tus on immunization levels were assessed. The study used data collecte d from office records, birth certificates, and household interviews. T he random sample included 292 white non-Hispanic and 274 Mexican Ameri can infants. White non-Hispanic infants received more immunizations by age 1 than the Mexican American infants. However, after controlling f or a full set of explanatory variables in a multiple regression analys is, ethnicity was no longer a significant predictor of immunization le vels. Significant predictors of a higher number of immunizations inclu ded fewer siblings, older maternal age, and higher maternal education. Health insurance and enrollment in a managed care plan were not suffi cient to ensure adequate immunization of these Medicaid enrolled infan ts. Results are discussed in terms of previous research and the essent ial functions of public health as outlined in the Institute of Medicin e's Report on the Future of Public Health.