Culture and Health Disparities: Evaluation of Interventions and Outcomes in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region (SpringerBriefs in Public Health)

The sister cities of the southwestern United States border are challenged by widespread environmental and health issues and limited access to help. And while different initiatives have been set up to improve health outcomes and lessen inequities in the border region, evaluation data are scarce. __Culture and Health Disparities__ provides a perspective on U.S.-Mexico border health with an evidence-based guide for conceptualizing, implementing, and evaluating health interventions. Taking into account the unique qualities of border life and their influence on general wellbeing, this important volume offers detailed criteria for creating public health programs that are medically, culturally, and ethically sound. The book identifies gaps in intervention research on major health concerns in the area, relating them to disparity-reduction efforts in the rest of the U.S. and arguing for more relevant means of data gathering and analysis. The author also asserts that progress can be made on both sides of the border despite concurrent social and political problems in the region. Included in the coverage: * The border region as a social system. * The development of health disparities: a life-course model. * A social systems approach to understanding health disparities. * A critique of U.S.-Mexico border health interventions. * Evaluating interventions to reduce healthcare disparities. * Ethical issues in health interventions across cultures and contexts. A text for researchers and practitioners working to promote border health and reduce service inequalities, __Culture and Health Disparities__ asks pertinent questions and provides workable, meaningful answers. Front Matter....Pages i-ix The Border Region: Its Culture and Health Disparities....Pages 1-33 Understanding Health Disparities....Pages 35-51 A Critique of U.S.-Mexico Border Health Interventions....Pages 53-68 Ethical Issues in Health Interventions Across Contexts and Cultures....Pages 69-82 Back Matter....Pages 83-83