EXPLORING INTRA-ETHNIC DIVERSITY AMONG 4 GROUPS OF HISPANIC ELDERLY -PATTERNS AND LEVELS OF SERVICE UTILIZATION

This study investigates service use by a sample of 2,135 Hispanic elde rly in order to address the issue of the homogeneity or heterogeneity within the older Hispanic population as revealed by the use of formal services. Factor analysis revealed a high degree of homogeneity in the patterns of formal service use among the four Hispanic groups in this study that follows three latent, but distinct, patterns of behavior: the use of federal entitlement programs, in-home services, and senior center services. Although the patterns of service use reflect substant ial homogeneity among the Hispanics in this sample, there is a high de gree of heterogeneity in the level of service use. Overall, service us e was systematically lower among ''Other'' Hispanic elders and systema tically higher among Puerto Rican elders, with somewhat more erratic u se among Cuban American and Mexican American elders. Controlling for b etween-group differences in socio-demographic characteristics did litt le to reduce relatively systematic between-group differences in levels of service use.