Health Issues in the Latino Community (Public Health Vulnerable Populations)

By the year 2010 it is projected that Latinos will be the largest ethnic group in the United States. Yet access to culturally responsive health care services is very limited or not available to this burgeoning population. If the United States is to meet the myriad challenges of the new century, it must address the health concerns of its fastest growing population the Latino community. Sweeping in scope, Health Issues in the Latino Community identifies and offers an in-depth examination of the most critical health issues that affect Latinos' health and health care within the United States. While most books on the topic focus on one aspect of Latino health, this resource offers a comprehensive approach that informs and promotes the advancement of the practice, program planning, research, and public policy to improve the health care of all Latino citizens. Written by an outstanding group of Latino scholars, practitioners, researchers, and policy leaders, this valuable handbook examines a wide variety of topics including health care for immigrants, the role of managed care, substance abuse within the community, and HIV prevention. Health Issues in the Latino Community stresses the need for responsive health care policies and offers the current thinking on the most relevant health, lifestyle, and policy issues. Comprehensive in scope the book includes a • Review of the special health needs of Latinos from birth through the golden years • Summary of the changes in the health care market and how they affect Latino clients • Analysis of empirical data on the mental health of Latinos • Description of the risk factors and patterns of chronic diseases within the community • Review of the occupational diseases among urban and rural workers Health care providers, researchers, educators, students, and policy makers will find Health Care Issues in the Latino Community to be a relevant and useful guide to the health and well-being of our country's fastest growing population. The Editors Marilyn Aguirre-Molina is professor of public health at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York City. She has served as the executive vice president of the California Endowment and as senior program officer at The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Carlos W. Molina is professor of community health education at York College of the City University of New York. He has served as the executive director of Lincoln Hospital in New York. Ruth Enid Zambrana is professor of women's studies at the University of Maryland. She was the Elisabeth Shirley Enochs Professor of Child Welfare, Social Work Program at George Mason University. Doody Review Services Reviewer: Linda C. Baumann, PhD, RN, CS, FAAN(University of Wisconsin-Madison) Description: This is a reference source for information on multiple dimensions of the health and health status of Latinos, who will comprise 50 percent of the total U.S. population by 2050 and in 2000 were the largest ethnic/racial group in this country. This second edition incorporates more data sources that include ethnic identifiers; changes in immigration laws; demographic trends; and the presence of managed care and its impact on Latinos. The first edition appeared in 1994. Purpose: The purpose is to provide a profile of the demographics and health status of subgroups of Latino populations. The authors describe and analyze key issues related to research, policy and program development. The goal is to provide a "whole picture" of Latinos in the U.S. The objectives are effectively met and the book fills a need to provide a comprehensive review of Latino health status. Audience: The book will serve as an excellent reference for students, professionals, academicians, policymakers, and health advocates who have an interest in Latino health and in health objectives targeted in Healthy People 2010. The contributors are outstanding and well-known professionals, researchers, and policymakers, many holding both clinical and academic degrees. Features: The book is divided into six parts that address the following aspects of Latino health: 1) a review of Latino populations in the U.S.; 2) life stages and health; 3) patterns of chronic disease; 4) occupational health and workforce; 5) alcohol, tobacco and other drug use; and 6) interventions to address the needs of the Latino community. Separate chapters devoted to such major health issues as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease each provide an in-depth and critical examination of these conditions. One issue the book examines is the epidemiological paradox in Latino health, reflected by high poverty but favorable infant mortality and low birth rates. Assessment: Compared to other books on this issue, this one is far more comprehensive and more effectively integrates theory, population data, and policy issues into one reference. In the final chapter the authors reflect on how little progress has been made in Latino health indicators over the past decade beyond more documentation of morbidity and mortality patterns. What is missing from governmental policy studies on Latinos are recommendations for strategic implementation plans or mention of a policy agenda to guide policy development. This collection of papers includes 6 parts. Part 1, "Latino Populations in the United States," includes: (1) "Latino Health Policy: Beyond Demographic Determinism" (Angelo Falcon, Marilyn Aguirre-Molina, and Carlos W. Molina); (2) "Latino Health Status" (Olivia Carter-Pokras and Ruth Enid Zambrana); and (3) "Latino Access To Health Care: The Role of Insurance, Managed Care, and Institutional Barriers" (J. Emilio Carrillo, Fernando M. Trevino, Joseph R. Betancourt, and Alberto Coustasse). Part 2, "Latino Life Stages and Health," includes: (4) "The Early Years: The Health of Children and Youth" (Glenn Flores and Ruth Enid Zambrana); (5) "The Reproductive Years: The Health of Latinas" (Aida L. Giachello); (6) "The Later Years: The Health of Elderly Latinos" (Valentine M. Villa and Fernando M. Torres-Gil); and (7) "Latino Mental Health and Treatment in the United States" (William A. Vega and Margarita Alegria). Part 3, "Patterns of Chronic Diseases among Latinos," includes: (8) "The Impact of Cancer on Latino Populations" (Amelie G. Ramirez and Lucina Suarez); (9) "Cardiovascular Disease" (Eliseo Perez-Stable, Teresa Juarbe, and Gina Moreno-John); (10) "Diabetes" (Jose Alejandro Luchsinger); and (11) "Gender, Context, and HIV Prevention among Latinos" (Hortensia Amaro, Rodolfo R. Vega, and Dellanira Valencia). Part 4, "Occupational Health and the Latino Workforce," includes: (12) "Occupational Health among Latino Workers in the Urban Setting" (Rafael Moure-Eraso and George Friedman-Jimenez) and (13) "Health and Occupational Risks of Latinos Living in Rural America" (Kathryn Azevedo and Hilda Ochoa Bogue). Part 5, "Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Use among Latinos," includes: (14) "Alcohol Use and Alcohol-Related Problems among Latinos in the United States" (Raul Caetano and Frank Hector Galvan); (15) "Tobacco Use among Latinos" (Gerardo Marin); and (16) "Latino Drug Use: Scope, Risk Factors, and Reduction Strategies" (Andres G. Gil and William A. Vega). Part 6, "A New Health Agenda," offers (17) "Latino Health Policy: A Look To the Future" (Marilyn Aguirre-Molina, Angelo Falcon, and Carlos W. Molina). (Papers contain references.) (SM) HEALTH ISSUES IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 8 List of Tables and Figures......Page 12 Foreword......Page 16 Preface......Page 18 Acknowledgments......Page 22 The Editors......Page 24 The Contributors......Page 26 PART ONE: LATINO POPULATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES......Page 36 1 Latino Health Policy: Beyond Demographic Determinism......Page 38 2 Latino Health Status......Page 58 3 Latino Access to Health Care: The Role of Insurance, Managed Care, and Institutional Barriers......Page 90 PART TWO: LATINO LIFE STAGES AND HEALTH......Page 110 4 The Early Years: The Health of Children and Youth......Page 112 5 The Reproductive Years: The Health of Latinas......Page 142 6 The Later Years: The Health of Elderly Latinos......Page 192 7 Latino Mental Health and Treatment in the United States......Page 214 PART THREE: PATTERNS OF CHRONIC DISEASES AMONG LATINOS......Page 244 8 The Impact of Cancer on Latino Populations......Page 246 9 Cardiovascular Disease......Page 280 10 Diabetes......Page 312 11 Gender, Context, and HIV Prevention Among Latinos......Page 336 PART FOUR: OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND THE LATINO WORKFORCE......Page 360 12 Occupational Health Among Latino Workers in the Urban Setting......Page 362 13 Health and Occupational Risks of Latinos Living in Rural America......Page 394 PART FIVE: ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND OTHER DRUG USE AMONG LATINOS......Page 416 14 Alcohol Use and Alcohol-Related Problems Among Latinos in the United States......Page 418 15 Tobacco Use Among Latinos......Page 448 16 Latino Drug Use: Scope, Risk Factors, and Reduction Strategies......Page 470 PART SIX: A NEW HEALTH AGENDA......Page 494 17 Latino Health Policy: A Look to the Future......Page 496 Name Index......Page 502 Subject Index......Page 518