Search

Purpose: To determine sources of health information of Latinos and assess associations with acculturation level, functional health literacy and demographics. Methods: Focus groups (n = 40) and Semi-structured survey interviews were conducted with adults (n = 212). Results: Over 60% of respondents had lived in the country for less than 10 years, were women with less than a high school degree, and under the age of 40 years old. Motivation for seeking health information was reported to be primarily due to illness (n = 146, 71.9%) and mostly for themselves (n = 191, 90%). The majority of participants chose to take the survey in Spanish and preferred Spanish for health information. Younger participants, recent immigrants, women, participants with lower education levels and lower acculturation to American culture were more likely to use other People and Self-Help strategies as sources of information. Although most found information trustworthy and easy to obtain, 10% did not find their top source of information trustworthy, 20% reported difficulty accessing the information and 25% found the information insufficient. Barriers identified such as language and trust are explored and discussed. Lastly, participants with marginal and inadequate Functional Health Literacy (FHL) and low Acculturation/English proficiency were less likely to use Media sources and more likely to rely on friends, family and traditional medicine or healers. Conclusion: Specific implications for professional practice are presented; specifically, consideration for language preferences; formatting and material for audiences; readability and comprehension levels; cultural relevance and appropriateness; and physical location availability; and measures of literacy, FHL and acculturation.

The purposes of the study were to determine the health literacy levels of Latinos in the Greater Cincinnati Area in both English and Spanish by utilizing two standardized quantitative measures of health literacy, and to undertake an assessment of the relationship between language, health literacy and acculturation in this community. Given a rapid increase in the Latino immigrant population in the Midwest, data on health literacy and acculturation were needed. A convenience sample of 214 Latinos was recruited in the Greater Cincinnati Area. Semi-structured interviews in English or Spanish included three validated scales: one for linguistic proficiency, and two for health literacy levels. Results showed that most participants chose to be surveyed in Spanish and that 2/3 were married or living together, well-educated and under the age of 40 years. Almost half had more than high school education and half reported annual income under $16,000. 60% had lived in the USA 10 years or less. Almost half were born in Mexico and about a quarter in Central America. Most participants had low acculturation to US culture and low health literacy and English reading ability. Lower acculturation was associated with lower health literacy. Recommendations for Health Education practice are presented.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess potential relationships among reproductive health knowledge, preventive health behaviors, perceived severity and risk of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and sexually transmitted infections and selected demographical variables and characteristics related to acculturation among Latina immigrants. Methods: A total of 204 Latinas from a Midwestern city in the United States consented to participate in the study. Health interviews were conducted using semistructured interviews and convenience sampling. Interviews were conducted in the participants' choice of language by trained bilingual administrators at a variety of Latino associated locations. Results: Characteristics associated with acculturation, such as English skill, play a role in preventive health behaviors--in this case, self breast exams and likelihood of getting Pap tests. Perception of risk and severity may be affected by acculturation characteristics such as barriers to access as well as perception of severity which appear to be higher among Latinas with lower education levels. Conclusion: Culturally appropriate efforts to assess the health needs of emerging Latino communities will contribute to preventive health education for women. (Contains 3 tables.)

This study investigated sexuality topics discussed by parents, sources of sexuality education, sexual risk behaviors, and attitudes about who should educate children about sexuality among a sample of 204 adult Latinas. Nearly half of sexually active women (having ever had sex) reported condom use and 36.7% reported discussing sexual history with new sexual partners. Self-discovery, friends and media were the most commonly reported sources of sexuality education. Almost 60% of participants thought that both parents and teachers should be responsible for their children's sexuality education. Lower education and lower acculturation were related to reporting peers and media as primary sources of sexuality education. Participants whose parents discussed at least one sexuality related topic with them reported higher frequency of condom use. (Contains 5 tables.)

The relationships among acculturation, health protective sexual communication, and HIV/AIDS risk behaviors of Hispanic women are examined. Respondents represented 14 Latin American countries, a mean age of 29.5 years, and relatively low education and income levels. A significant correlation was found between higher non-Hispanic acculturation level and higher sexual communication with new partners. Higher non-Hispanic acculturation levels were also correlated with higher number of sexual partners in the prior 12 months. The higher the score for health protective sexual communication, the higher the reported frequency of condom use with new sexual partners in the past 12 months. Given the low number of sexual partners, HIV/AIDS risk for this group of women appears to be related to not knowing whether their partners had other sexual partners and to low frequency of condom use. Implications for health education are discussed. (Contains 4 tables.)