Differences in services utilization between white and Mexican American DUIarrestees

Background: Hispanics traditionally have been considered an underserved pop ulation in relation to medical care and related services utilization. Methods: Selected health and social services utilization (both alcohol-spec ific and non-alcohol-specific) during the last year was compared between a sample of 249 Mexican American (half of whom were born in Mexico) and 250 w hite participants interviewed in all five DUI (driving under the influence) treatment programs in one northern California county. Results: Among those who met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence and/or alcohol abuse, 49% of the white subjects compared with 59% of the Mexican A merican subjects reported no utilization, 77% of whites and 82% of Mexican Americans reported no utilization in which drinking was a factor, and 70% o f whites and 80% of Mexican Americans reported no contact with an alcohol p rogram. Mexican Americans were also significantly less likely to report con tact with more than one program, and among Mexican Americans, those born in Mexico were significantly less likely to report utilization than those bor n in the U.S. Conclusions: The data suggest that despite the higher rates of heavy drinki ng found among Mexican American DUI arrestees (especially those born in Mex ico) in this sample, Mexican Americans with an alcohol use disorder are les s likely to use health and social services than whites, and this may be rel ated to country of birth and related variables that include health insuranc e. Significance: The data suggest that DUI programs may offer one of the few o pportunities Mexican American problem drinkers have of establishing contact with the health and social service system and, as such, would be well posi tioned to also offer other types of alcohol-related health and social servi ces and referrals to this underserved population. These findings have impli cations for intervention efforts for problem drinking and prevention of DUI among Mexican Americans, which are a rapidly growing ethnic minority in Ca lifornia.