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Objectives. This study evaluated whether incorporation of an abuse assessment protocol into the routine procedures of the prenatal clinics of a large urban public health department led to increased referral for and assessment, identification, and documentation of abuse. Methods. Evaluation was conducted at 3 matched prenatal clinics serving a total of 12 000 maternity patients per year. Two clinics used the abuse protocol and 1 did not. An audit was performed at the clinics on a randomly selected sample of 540 maternity patient charts for the 15 months before the protocol was initiated and of 540 records for the 15 months after the protocol was introduced. Ninety-six percent of the patients represented in the sample were Latina. Results. At the clinics using the protocol, abuse assessment increased from 0 to 88%. Detection of abuse increased from 0.8% to 7%. There were no changes at the comparison clinic. Conclusions. Incorporation of an abuse assessment protocol into the routine procedures of public health department prenatal clinics increases the assessment, identification, and documentation of and referral for abuse among pregnant women. An abuse protocol should be a routine part of maternity care. (Am J Public Health. 1999; 89:1217-1221)

The article discusses how the presence of certain deleterious mutations in BRCA genes, are responsible for increasing the risk of breast cancer among Hispanic women. The increase in Hispanic population in the United States has made it more important for physicians to develop more aware of culturally appropriate ways to spread the awareness of inherited cancer risks.

The article discusses how Hispanic women are more likely than white or African-American women to develop hereditary forms of breast cancer. The focus then needs to shift to Hispanic women for more targeted screening in order to prevent the disease, keeping in mind the growing Hispanics population in the U.S.

This study analyzes disparities in selected health indicators for Latinas when compared to non-Latina Whites, and other population groups in the United States, and as available in Mexico. A review and secondary analyses of government and other data were conducted as an extension of previous research. Data revealed that the population of Latinas, although youthful on average, are composed of an increasingly large group of poor women who in their middle years (45-64), and in rural communities, display high cardiac risk, high rates of diabetes, and cervical cancer. This picture calls for special attention, in particular to Latinas without health insurance. Further research, policies that protect women's health, and culturally competent prevention services are needed to address these health disparities and the complexities of Latina health in California.

* Hispanic (Latina) females experience a lower risk of breast cancer than do non-Hispanic white women. * These lower rates may reflect the influence of known risk factors. * Currently [...]

Researchers are identifying effective ways to increase breastfeeding rates among low-income Hispanic mothers. The US Surgeon General has made increasing breastfeeding rates a public health priority, but there has been [...]

Objectives. This study investigated whether acculturation was associated with the receipt of clinical breast examinations and mammograms among Colombian, Ecuadorian, Dominican, and Puerto Rican women aged 18 to 74 years in New York City in 1992. Methods. A bilingual, targeted, random-digit-dialed telephone survey was conducted among 908 Hispanic women from a population-based quota sample. Outcome measures included ever and recent use of clinical breast examinations and mammograms. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the effect of acculturation on screening use. Results. When demographic, socioeconomic, and health system characteristics and cancer attitudes and beliefs were controlled for, women who were more acculturated had significantly higher odds of ever and recently receiving a clinical breast examination (P [is less than or equal to] .01) and of ever (P [is less than or equal to ] .01) and recently (P [is less than or equal to] .05) receiving a mammogram than did less acculturated women. For all screening measures, there was a linear increase in the adjusted probability of being screened as a function of acculturation. Conclusions. Neighborhood and health system interventions to increase screening among Hispanic women should target the less acculturated. (Am J Public Health. 1999;89:219-227)

In this study, I describe the cardiovascular-related diet and exercise experiences of 24 married immigrant Mexican women (21 to 40 years-old) who have children. I used semistructured taped interviews in Spanish to elicit qualitative data concerning the diet and exercise experiences of this sample. The data were analyzed in Spanish using grounded theory procedures. A major finding in this study is a core process of realizing a covert overweight image. Women described an ongoing process of coming to terms with diet and exercise decisions in a sociocultural disempowering environment that limited their options to promote their health. Despite these limitations, some of the women assessed and formulated options that developed into transcending strategies for engaging in diet and exercise behaviors. Such sociocultural factors as women's roles and their social support structures were found to be critical in describing those behaviors., Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among Latina women in the United States (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1995). Women comprise 49% (10,966,000) of the [...]