Examining Differences Among Latinos Not Adherent to Cancer Screening Guidelines: A Latent Class Analysis
This research used latent class analysis to identify subgroups of Latinos who are not adherent to cancer screening guidelines. Results showed six distinct groups, with the Connected Immigrants group being highly connected to their Latin culture and language, while the Rooted Locals group was more assimilated to US culture. These differences could impact health messaging for this population.
College of Health researcher(s)
Abstract
Cancer screening rates are low among Hispanic individuals. We examined subgroups of Latinos not adherent to cancer screening guidelines, using latent class analyses, to identify how different facets of cultural identity and risk factors might coalesce. Analyses of 2,873 Hispanic/Latino individuals revealed six latent classes: Connected Immigrants, Bridging Locals, Rooted Locals, Bridging Immigrants, Isolated Locals, and Connected Locals. Multinomial regression analysis also was used to examine sociodemographic and health care predictors of belonging to each latent class. Results show that the Connected Immigrants group, who are highly connected with their Latin culture and Spanish language dominant, stood in stark contrast to Rooted Locals, US born and English language dominant with non-Hispanic/Latino friendship groups. Rooted Locals also were more likely to have a usual source of care and less likely to have visited a doctor in the past year. These differences could shape health messaging beyond common variables such as ethnicity and language.