title: Latinos and political advocacy for cancer control in a United States-Mexico border community.
abstract: Health policy interventions provide powerful tools for addressing health disparities. The Latino community is one of the fastest growing communities in the United States yet is largely underrepresented in government and advocacy efforts. This study includes 42 Latino adults (M age = 45 years) who participated in focus group discussions and completed a brief questionnaire assessing their experiences with political health advocacy. Qualitative analyses revealed participants considered cancer a concern for the Latino community, but there was a lack of familiarity with political advocacy and its role in cancer control. Participants identified structural, practical, cultural, and contextual barriers to engaging in political health advocacy. This article presents a summary of the findings that suggest alternative ways to engage Latinos in cancer control advocacy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA.
authors.forename: Kate E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Lynda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barbour
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morlett
authors.forename: Luz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garcini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D002140:California; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006291:Health Policy; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D011057:Politics; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires