Sexual and Reproductive Health Promotion in Latino Populations: Parteras, Promotoras y Poetas, Case studies Across the Americas

Sex Roles: A Journal of Research,  April, 2005  by Geneva Reynaga-Abiko

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Sexual and Reproductive Health Promotion in Latino Populations: Parteras, Promotoras y Poetas, Case studies Across the Americas. Edited by M. Idali Torres and George P. Cernada, Amityville, New York, Baywood Publishing Company, Inc. 352 pp. $48.95.

An edited volume on health promotion with Latinos/as is long overdue in a country in which Latinos/as are now the largest ethnic minority group. This collection of essays includes chapters that focus on Latinos/as residing in the United States as well as various Latin American countries. A book of this nature cannot possibly include research on all Latino/a subgroups or nations, but the chapters herein are remarkably diverse in scope. The research cited is qualitative in nature, which allows for greater interplay of the participants' perspectives on what is relevant to study. The ideas expressed by the contributors are fresh and innovative, and they allow underrepresented groups to speak through the researchers. For this reason, the book is an integral addition to the libraries of professionals of many disciplines, including cultural anthropology, the health professions, public policy, and other social sciences.

The authors of this text choose topics often considered controversial as the focus of their research. They are brave in their attempts to access information on personal health issues from ethnic groups who are notoriously unwilling to disclose such information to strangers. Many chapters consider sexual and reproductive health among various Latino/a subgroups, both within and outside the United States. Although blanket statements cannot be made about their findings, given the diversity of the Latino/a subgroups who agreed to participate, this research is being done using the most effective data collection strategies. It also provides important information about groups who are typically underrepresented in research.

Many of the chapters in this work focus on ways in which qualitative research may be conducted in a manner that ensures a collaborative process with the participants. Several authors provide their experiences and lessons learned throughout each stage of their research, from grant writing to data collection and interpretation. The candor of the researchers promises to inform future studies and to spawn increased focus on qualitative methods, as it reveals the topics that are most relevant to various Latino/a subgroups.

Another section of the book focuses on the ways in which popular culture may be used to promote sexual and reproductive health in Latino/a communities. This is relevant information, given the poverty of many Latino/a subgroups and the lack of available health care in many communities. Popular media can access a wider group of people than traditional methods of information delivery in ways that may seem culturally familiar as well as culturally acceptable. This approach helps counteract the finding that many Latino/a subgroups do not utilize available health care due to lack of bilingual staff, perceived unfair treatment, and other culture-based factors. For this reason, the use of visual art, literature, Spanish language television, telephone hotlines, and street theater promises a more culturally acceptable means of providing important information to a group that historically underutilizes health services. That these means exist within Latino/a communities and often are offered by Latinos/as increases the likelihood that they will be effective. The relatively informal nature of this delivery method also allows changes to be made throughout the process, based on comments from the community, or audience.

This work contains data on many groups that have not received sufficient attention in the literature. It does this in ways that maintain cultural relevance and promote respect for the participants. Covered populations include Latinos/as in the U.S. (i.e., Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and other subgroups). Mayas in Guatemala, and Peruvians in Lima. A diversity of topics are covered, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, the sex trade, lactation, cervical cancer, the use of female condoms, and violence in Latino/a communities in the United States. Participants in the research include people of a wide age range and socioeconomic status who are from both rural and urban backgrounds. The information offered often dispels common stereotypes about Latinos/as and helps us to understand the importance of looking beyond issues that are relevant only to researchers. The authors focus their attention on empowering the people about whom the data are being gathered.

The findings of this work are promising to all the professionals who work with Latinos/as, however, it is not without its limitations. First, a collection of this nature necessarily excludes some groups. This is not the fault of the editors, and it is worth mentioning that gathering data on members of every Latin American country is worthwhile, especially those with significant numbers in the United States. Lacking in this volume was research with participants from Central America and Cuba, both Latin American areas that represent sizable numbers of immigrants in the United States. Second, because the research methods utilize small numbers of participants, generalization is a concern. Future researchers should focus on following up on the important information presented by the contributing researchers in this volume in studies with larger samples, so that generalizations may be made. Finally, some authors make use of the pan-ethnic term [Latino/a] when describing their research. Although this is commonly the way in which researchers refer to ethnic minority groups in the United States, more specific delineation seems warranted in a text that chooses a group as heterogeneous as Latinos/as as its focus. This would help to discourage the use of stereotypes and promote the recognition of the heterogeneity of Latinos/as.