The rapid growth of the immigrant Latino population in North Carolina and nationwide has led to immigration policies that may have a potentially profound impact on utilization of public health services. This study will evaluate whether a relationship exists between local immigration law enforcement and the utilization of public health services, especially prenatal care, by Latinos.
The team will collect qualitative data in North Carolina on Latinos' willingness to seek public health services as it relates to the threat of immigration enforcement, and how attitudes and behaviors have changed since implementation of the immigration enforcement program. Using statewide prenatal care data from 2000 through 2009, the team will explore how immigration enforcement affects utilization of prenatal care among Latinas to determine trends and differences in: the month of gestation for a first prenatal visit, and the total number of prenatal visits.