Date of Conferral

2-13-2025

Degree

Doctor of Public Administration (D.P.A)

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Steven Matarelli

Abstract

Access to quality healthcare is essential for the well-being of immigrant families, especially Afro-Caribbean immigrants in the Greater Tampa Bay area. Disparities in use and satisfaction with health services are known. Guided by Andersen’s healthcare utilization model, a quantitative cross-sectional design employing multiple linear regression analyzed the relationships between self-reported income, education, years since immigration, and health-seeking behaviors (IVs) and satisfaction with care, measured by the PSQ-18 (DV). This study involved 92 English-speaking Afro-Caribbean migrant families with minors residing in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties. The IVs did not emerge as significant variables in the model output F(14, 68) = .755, p = .712). In post hoc modeling, the IVs were regressed individually on PSQ-18M scores, revealing that mean pre-tax income was the only variable with a significant relationship F(1, 86) = 5.205, p = .025). An analysis of pre-tax income ordinal level coefficients indicated that an income of $200,000 or more was the significant response attribute t(7, 80) = -2.320, p = 0.23, 95% CI [-.888, -.068]). Health policy research consistently shows a correlation between higher income and increased satisfaction with care, consistent with this finding. By quantifying the effect of pretax income on healthcare access satisfaction levels, this finding offers insights that economic stability plays a critical role in shaping perceptions of healthcare access, consistent with Andersen’s individual and contextual enabling determinants. Positive social change arises through increased awareness and information for policymakers regarding how household income affects healthcare resource availability in immigrant populations and their satisfaction with access.

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