Mexican Americans & health : sana! sana! / Adela de la Torre & Antonio L. Estrada.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Torre, Adela de la.

Contributor:

Estrada, Antonio L.

Series:

Mexican American studies series

Mexican American experience

The Mexican American experience

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mexican Americans--Health and hygiene.

Mexican Americans.

Mexican Americans--Medical care.

Minorities--Health and hygiene.

Minorities.

Minorities--Medical care.

Physical Description:

xxxv, 156 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Tucson : University of Arizona Press, [2001]

Summary:

By the middle of the twenty-first century, one out of every six Americans will be of Mexican descent, and as health care becomes of increasing concern to all Americans, the particular needs of Mexican Americans will have to be more thoroughly addressed.

Mexican Americans and Health reviews the unique health concerns of Mexican-origin people and explains how today's most pressing health issues have special relevance to the Mexican American community: How values such as machismo, familismo, and marianismo influence care-seeking decisions and treatment of illness. How factors such as cultural values, socioeconomic status, peer pressure, and family concerns can contribute to substance abuse. How approaches to AIDS prevention and education need to reflect core cultural values such as familismo, respeto, and confianza.

This book also addresses concerns regarding access to care and to health insurance and the shortage of bilingual and bicultural health care professionals. It gives readers a broad understanding of these and other complex issues and points the way toward a healthier future for all Mexican Americans.

Contents:

Overview of Health Care Issues for People of Mexican Origin xxi

1. "It was just an ideal location": An Introduction to the Mexican-Origin Population 1

Political-Geographic Concentration of the Mexican-Origin Population 2

Historical Concentration of the Mexican-Origin Population 6

Language Status 9

Educational Level 12

Occupational Location 15

2. "It's about having a healthy body": The Health Status of Mexican Americans 23

The Historical Context of Health and Disease 23

The Sociocultural Basis of Health and Disease 25

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in the Mexican American Community 27

The Health Status of Mexican American Subgroups 30

The Mexican American Morbidity and Mortality Paradox 47

3. "One starts with marijuana ...": Understanding Substance Abuse and aids 54

Prevalence of Drug Use among Mexican American Adolescents and Adults 55

Causal Factors in Substance Use 57

The Co-occurrence of Violence and Substance Use among Mexican American Adolescents 61

Adverse Health Consequences of Drug Use 61

Prevention Issues among Hispanic Youth and Adolescents 68

4. "Treated like second-class citizens": Health Care Access 75

What Is Health Care Access? 76

Who Are the Uninsured? 77

Financial Access to Care: A Crisis for Mexican-Origin Patients 77

Risk Factors That Influence the Health Insurance Coverage of the Mexican-Origin Population 83

The Role of Minority Health Care Professionals in Access to Care 89

5. "My doctor doesn't care": Cultural Competency in Health Care Services 97

Linguistic Competency: A Significant Component of Cultural Competency 97

The Impact of Mexican Folklore, Language, and Health 100

Cultural Competency: Implications for the Mexican-Origin Population 103

Understanding the Role of Gender and Cultural Competency 106

Implementation of Cultural Competency: Implications for the Mexican-Origin Population 108

A Patient's Guide for Assessing the Cultural Competency of a Health Care Provider 112

Beyond Cultural Competency: Some Final Thoughts 113

6. "This is about healing, about people getting better prevention": Future Trends in Mexican American Health 119

Mexican American Health Policy in the Twenty-First Century 122.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [139]-147) and index.

ISBN:

0816519765

OCLC:

45603908