Methods: Baseline data were utilized from an ongoing HIV risk reduction study in Immokalee, Florida. The sample for this study consisted of 431substance using migrant farmworkers, 29% of whom were newcomers. Eight percent were HIV-positive. Twenty-six percent reported having a primary doctor in Florida. Variables found to be significant at the bivariate level were entered into a logistic regression model with having a primary doctor as the dependent variable.
Results: One-quarter (26%) of participants had a primary doctor, as did the majority (58%) of HIV-positive participants. However, 34% of participants stated that during the preceding three months, they had considered visiting a doctor but had not. In the logistic regression analysis, having a primary doctor was significantly (p < .05) and postively associated with being female (Wald statistic = 7.42), having medical insurance (Wald = 39.44), and having children (Wald = 3.96), and inversely associated with being a newcomer (Wald = 5.61). The model accounted for 29% of the variance in having a doctor. The model correctly classified 90% of participants who did not have a doctor, 53% of those who did, and 81% overall.
Conclusions: This study found disparities in having a doctor among migrant farmworkers. Further study should identify the sources of care for those without a primary doctor and identify the barriers to and means to increase their access to primary care.