Abstract
An important aspect of genetic counseling is the recognition of and adaptation to the socio-cultural uniqueness of the different populations that a genetics clinic serves. The Central Valley of California is home to a large population from Mexico, with a significant proportion of indigenous ancestry originating from the state of Oaxaca. We report on our experience with two families of this community—one extended family with an early lethal inborn error of metabolism and the other with a chronic disfiguring form of ichthyosis. We identified multiple important factors that needed to be considered, including the matching of language dialects, adaptation to different social interaction conventions, acknowledgement of traditional medicine beliefs, and effective transmission of genetic terms and concepts, all of which should be incorporated into the interactions with these families when aiming to provide comprehensive genetic counseling.
Highlights
Among the Latin American population in the Central Valley of California is a significant proportion who originate from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, which has a large indigenous population
It was suspected that the interpreter, who was from the municipality of Silacayoapam, Oaxaca, was an imperfect match with the parents’ dialect, as they came from a different district in Oaxaca approximately 53 km away
Vasquez Santos) is from, allowing him to act as an interpreter and cultural broker in preparation for, and to be a valuable part of, the final genetic counseling visit with the extended family
Summary
Among the Latin American population in the Central Valley of California is a significant proportion who originate from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, which has a large indigenous population. The Mixtec people, or Mixtecos, are more highly represented in the Central Valley because this area’s prominent agricultural industry matches the region from which they immigrated. Mixtec language can be divided into three groups: Mixteco Alto, Mixteco Bajo, and Mixteco De La Costa. These broad categories do not necessarily mean that two speakers identified as being part of the same group are matched well linguistically. There are regional dialects, best categorized and identified by their Bdistrito^ (district), which is subdivided into different Bmunicipios^ (municipalities), each with their specific colloquialisms and vernacular, which should be matched to help optimize the verbal transmission of information
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