Subscribe to the RSS feed.What a CHP Grant can do – For Latina Women in Jackson County
By: CHP | Posted on: March 24th, 2010 | 
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Categories: Disparities • Economic Issues • Education • Grantee Reports • Nutrition
- Latina Women in the United States have worse birth outcomes than their non-Latina counterparts.
- Latina teens living in the United States get pregnant twice as often as the national average.
- Second-generation Latina women have less healthy babies and birth outcomes than their mothers who delivered their babies in Mexico.
These and other health inequities were the subject of the Health and Wellness Campaign and Community Engagement project among the Latino Community of which took place in Jackson County in late 2009.
According to Maggie Sullivan, who helped organize the project, “discussing these disparities related to women’s reproductive health has inevitably turned to some of the broader physical, social determinants of health: diet, exercise, substance use, social support networks, immigration status, attainment gaps in education, acculturation pressures, family structure, and civic engagement. Any efforts made to impact reproductive health and birth outcomes, will have to include these broader health determinants, and involve key community stakeholders in the process.”
Toward the end of 2009, members of this project used a CHP grant to continue this discussion around the broader inequities relating to the social determinants of health.
The group met at Tapatio Restaurant in Ashland. Participants included high school and college students, mothers, grandmothers, health care workers, educators, a parent organizer, and a school board member.
Two researchers shared the results of focus groups held earlier in Medford with Latina women aged 18 – 27. The focus group participants had explored some of the reasons they thought Latina Women in the United States have less healthy birth outcomes than their non-Latina counterparts, and even their mothers, who delivered their babies in Mexico.
Much of the lively conversation focused on the difficulties of losing community and cultural supports while adopting less healthy eating and lifestyle habits of American culture; the phenomenon faced by children of straddling two cultures; lack of regular access to routine and preventive health care; and a lack of information about menstruation and reproduction, along with taboos around discussing this in Latino families.
Maria Ramos Underwood of La Clinica facilitated a group discussion and a microphone was passed from hand to hand so that all comments could be heard over the background clinking of dishes and silverware.
Comments closely echoed the findings of the focus group:
- One woman talked about the high levels of stress and depression in young Latinas.
- Another discussed feelings of apathy and depression in older Latinas, who lack motivation to practice preventive health screenings.
- Others talked of the importance of reaching out to parents, and offering parenting education and support groups.
- Many pointed out the cultural taboos against open discussion of sexuality, pregnancy, and reproduction.
- Several health care workers talked of the frustrations of seeing Latina teens pregnant as young as 14.
The women present were enthusiastic about working together to continue discussing Latina Women’s Health – and to organize a community event focused on Latina Women’s Health that would be fun and educational – and that would have a strong focus on families and communication.
All participants shared contact information. Next steps involve forming a working coalition, identifying a coordinator or project leader who serves as liaison and coalition contact, setting up regular meeting times, agreeing on projects and activities of the coalition, and implementing new projects that emerged from the discussion.
As Maggie said, “We are looking forward to the next phase!”
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Clearly, the statistics show an unfortunate pattern relating to the health of young Latina mothers as well as their babies. However, like many studies, data is being collected in order to learn about the problems and improve upon them.
Pregnancy is difficult for all women. A mother’s health is vitally important to the growth of her baby. It’s great to see that this study has motivated these young mothers to learn more about healthy habits that will insure that they and their child will have the best chance for success.
Sincerely, Joyce