Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved

Review 159 LATINO HEALTH IN THE U.S.: A GROWING CHALLENGE edited by Carlos W. Molina, EdD, and Marilyn Aguirre-Molina, EdD. pp. 513. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 1994. $42.50 (soft cover). Despite the dramatic growth of the Latino population in the United States and the increasing importance of Latinos' presence in all facets of American life, traditionally little has been pubUshed regarding the health profile of Latinos in the United States. Latino Health in the U.S.: A Growing Challenge, edited by Carlos W. Molina and Marilyn Aguirre-Molina, clearly succeeds in reversing that tradition by presenting a comprehensive epidemiological and sociodemographic profile of Latinos in the United States. The book is organized into seven sections, all of which describe and analyze different important dimensions of Latino health. Each of these sections is divided into chapters written by a diverse group of nationally recognized Latino researchers, scholars, educators, and activists such as Fernando M. Trevino, PhD, of the American Public Health Association. The first section presents a broad introduction to Latino health, defining who Latinos are, what the historical and cultural roots of the main Latino population subgroups are, and what role culture, class, and socioenvironmental factors play on their health. The introductory chapters of the book also provide a general epidemiological profile of Latinos. The second section describes and analyzes Latino health issues with regard to the U.S. health care system, addressing concerns related to structural and social barriers that affect access to care and health care use. The third and fourth sections examine health issues of Latino mothers and infants, children and youth, and the elderly as well as chronic disease patterns among Latinos. The fifth section concentrates on Latino health in the workplace, whereas the sixth describes substance abuse and mental health issues. Each section identifies risk factors associated with different types of diseases and presents recommendations for action to address the corresponding health issues discussed in each section. The book concludes with a summary of recommendations to improve Latino health proposed by the Latino Health Initiative headed by Antonia Novello, former U.S. surgeon general. The chapters are based on current cross-sectional and longitudinal data from an extensive list of reference sources detailed at the end of each chapter. The data presented include mortality, morbidity, and sociodemographic staJournal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved · Vol. 7, No. 2 · 1996 160 Latino Health in the U.S. tistics that, whenever possible, are stratified by Latino population subgroups including Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and others. The book is organized in a logical and meaningful fashion. The writing style is precise and clear. An exceptionally detailed subject matter index is presented at the end of the book that facilitates searching for specific terms or areas of interest to the reader. A major strength of this publication is that it presents the most complete profile of Latino health in the United States ever published within the context of the social and cultural reality of Latinos in the United States and also within the context of the structural limitations of the U.S. health care system. These conceptual and practical frameworks allow the reader to gain a much better understanding of the factors affecting health behaviors, health care use, and the health status of this population group. One important topic not discussed by the authors is the potential impact of different health care reform proposals on the Latino population given their diverse demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Such a discussion is critical to understanding the potential impact of different reform strategies on access to care and, ultimately, the health status of the Latino population. Undoubtedly, this publication presents a major breakthrough in the literature on Latino research in the United States. It is the first major scientific compendium on Latino health ever published. The potential uses of this book as a resource are varied. For example, it could serve as an excellent textbook for a college-level course on Latino health. It could also be used for a course on ethnicity and health to cover units or topics specifically related to Latino health in the United States. For the health care practitioner interested...