Latina Health in the United States: A Public Health Reader

Abstract

Latina Health in the United States: A Public Health Reader is a collection of articles drawn from journals and books published in the last decade about the health status and health needs of Latin American adolescent and adult females in the United States. In the preface, the editors state that the goals of the anthology are to identify a number of critical issues of importance and relevance to Latina health; to present an overview of the existing literature on Latina health; to highlight the leading indicators of morbidity and mortality affecting various subgroups of Latinas; and to identify gaps in research, policy issues, program planning, and practice. To achieve these goals, the editors organized the book’s 29 chapters into nine parts that explore the population’s demographics; risk factors, socioeconomic disparities, and race/ethnic disparities among Latinas; sexual and reproductive health issues; chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes; alcohol, tobacco, other drug use, and mental health; patterns of risk behaviors among Latina adolescents; and the health needs of rural and migrant workers.

Keywords

• chronic disease
• prevention
• public health
• Latina health
• book review