Public health needs and scientific opportunities in research on Latinas.
Much of the research on women's health has not deepened our understanding of health issues affecting Latinas. Yet integration of research on Latinas into the women's health agenda is important for at least 2 reasons. First, critical public health issues facing Latinas must be better understood if effective interventions designed to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health are to be developed and implemented. Second, studies on the health of Latinas represent unique opportunities to advance scientific understandings of underlying processes relevant to the health of other populations. Such research can further our knowledge of the processes underlying cultural adaptation and negotiation of changing sex roles and how these issues affect the health of women. Critical research and empirical approaches that help us to understand how race, ethnicity, sex, and class shape the health of Latinas will inform broader public health issues.
Amaro
Hortensia
H
Bouve College of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Stearns Hall Suite 503, Boston, MA 02115-5000, USA. h.amaro@neu.edu
de la Torre
Adela
A
D000069:Acculturation; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009017:Morbidity; D009026:Mortality; D011634:Public Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011822:Race Relations; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health