Emerging Latino Community Research Articles

The Impressions of School Nurses and School Counselors Related to Health Disparities of Latina/o Students in Rural, Emerging Latino Communities

The Impressions of School Nurses and School Counselors Related to Health Disparities of Latina/o Students in Rural, Emerging Latino Communities

Increasing Healthy Behaviors in Adolescents of Mexican Heritage in Rural Emerging Latino Communities: Results from a School-Based Health Intervention Pilot Study

The rapid Latino population growth in emerging Latino communities (EmLCs) presents a challenge to health care providers as most current health interventions and health promotion programs intended for Latinas/os are based on characteristics of established Latino communities (EsLCs). This study addresses the gap in the literature by modifying and testing the beginning efficacy of a school-based health intervention for adolescents of Mexican heritage in a rural EmLC. Seventy adolescents of Mexican heritage attending a rural middle school participated in the intervention. Paired samples t-tests were performed to determine differences between healthy behaviors at post-intervention compared to pre-intervention. Significant improvements in participants' physical activity and healthy eating were observed between pre-intervention and post-intervention. A school-based health intervention designed to increase healthy behaviors of adolescents of Mexican heritage in a rural EmLC was successful.

Mexican Americans With Type 2 Diabetes in an Emerging Latino Community: Evaluation of Health Disparity Factors and Interventions

Mexican Americans suffer from disproportionately higher rates of type 2 diabetes and its associated complications than the general population. They also confront significant obstacles to health care access and may not receive the same quality of health care as non-Hispanic Whites. Understanding the factors contributing to their health disparities is critical for nurses and other health care providers working with Latino immigrants, especially those in emerging Latino communities such as North Carolina who may lack the established infrastructure of more traditional Latino communities. The purpose of this article is to explicate these factors and examine culturally competent diabetes interventions being used to assist Mexican Americans increase their knowledge of diabetes and health promoting behaviors in order to achieve better glycemic control and prevent complications.

Place of Residence Modifies the Association Between Acculturation and Dietary Tools Knowledge Among Latina WIC Participants: A Multi-State Study

This cross-sectional study assessed: (a) awareness and knowledge of federal dietary tools (MyPyramid, Food Guide Pyramid (FGP), and food labels (FL)), and (b) the influence of acculturation and state of residence on FGP knowledge (FGPK) indicators among low-income Latina WIC participants (N = 479) living in Connecticut, Ohio, Texas, and California. Participants were familiar with FGP but only 37% recognized MyPyramid. FGPK was highest for fruits (71%) and lowest for the 'breads and cereals' group (12%). Less than half (47%) used FL's when grocery shopping. Living in OH, was associated with the lowest FGPK. Multivariate analyses showed that more acculturated individuals living in CT/CA had better FGPK than participants living in TX and their less acculturated counterparts in CT/CA. The forthcoming revised federal dietary tools need to be adequately disseminated among Latinos, with special emphasis on those with lower acculturation levels, living in rapid emerging Latino communities or in the US-Mexico border.

“It Turned My World Upside Down”: Latino Youths’ Perspectives on Immigration

Few studies have examined the migration and acculturation experiences of Latino youth in a newly emerging Latino community, communities that historically have had low numbers of Latino residents. This study uses in-depth interview data from the Latino Adolescent, Migration, Health, and Adaptation (LAMHA) project, a mixed-methods study, to document the experiences of Latino youth (ages 14-18) growing up in one emerging Latino community in the South - North Carolina. Using adolescent's own words and descriptions, we show how migration can turn an adolescent's world upside down, and we discover the adaptive strategies that Latino immigrant youth use to turn their world right-side up as they adapt to life in the U.S.

Fitting In: The Roles of Social Acceptance and Discrimination in Shaping the Academic Motivations of Latino Youth in the U.S. Southeast.

Using data on 459 Latino 9(th) graders from the LA-SIAA and the NC-SIAA studies, we evaluate the specific educational values and beliefs that motivate the academic achievement of Latino youth and contrast the school experiences of Latino youth in an emerging Latino community, North Carolina, with the school experiences of youth living in a traditional settlement community, Los Angeles. Despite their greater fears of discrimination, we find that Latino youth in North Carolina are more academically motivated than their peers in Los Angeles. This is partially because they are more likely to be immigrants. Being an immigrant, having a stronger sense of ethnic identification, and having a stronger sense of family obligation were each linked to a more positive view of school environments. Therefore, these factors each partially explained the immigrant advantage in academic motivation and helped to counter the harmful effects of discrimination on academic motivation.

Cuento Group Work in Emerging Rural Latino Communities: Promoting Personal–Social Development of Latina/o Middle School Students of Mexican Heritage

The experiences of Latina/o youth in rural emerging Latino communities are largely absent in the literature. This article proposes the benefits of a Cuento group work intervention designed to promote Latina/o student personal–social development. An outline of the group intervention offered to middle school students of Mexican Heritage is provided, in an effort to facilitate replication of the intervention in other emerging Latino communities. Preliminary pilot data on group efficacy also are presented.

Recent Research on Latinos in the USA and Canada, Part 1: Language Maintenance and Shift and English Varieties1

AbstractThis article examines two of the main areas of sociolinguistic research on Latinos in the USA and Canada, language maintenance and shift and Latino varieties of English, with emphasis on work that has been accomplished in the past decade. Despite the considerable amount of foundational research that has been accomplished in recent years, we suggest that a great deal remains to be done, particularly on maintenance and shift in emerging Latino communities in the USA and Canada and on Latino varieties of English.

Condom Use Among Heterosexual Immigrant Latino Men in the Southeastern United States

Latinos in the United States have been disproportionately affected by the intersecting epidemics of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). We examined correlates of condom use among adult heterosexual Latino men who are members of a large multicounty soccer league in rural North Carolina. Of 222 participants, the mean (+/-SD) age was 29.8 (+/-8.3) years. Approximately 60% reported Mexico as their country of origin, 60% reported Grade 8 or below as their highest level of education, and 50% reported using condoms during their most recent vaginal intercourse episodes. Adjusting for relationship status, multivariable logistic regression identified four correlates of condom use: having sought health care information from family members (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=3.68; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.48-9.13); greater knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention (AOR = 2.61; CI = 1.23-5.54); greater condom use self-efficacy (AOR = 4.45; 95% CI = 2.12-9.36); and greater adherence to traditional masculine norms (AOR = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.02-4.33). Our findings underscore the need for innovative and targeted HIV and STD prevention programming among the emerging Latino community in the southeastern United States.