Culture and Latino Issues in Health Psychology

(from the chapter) This chapter deals with some general aspects of the study of culture in mainstream psychology that are relevant to the study and practice of health psychology with nondominant ethnic groups in a multicultural society. Issues such as the intragroup diversity of Latino Americans and other nondominant groups in the US are discussed. Health data and statistics on some of the relevant health concerns of this population are used to illustrate the fact that some of the health issues presented are relevant to some, but not to other, Latino groups. For example, as Latino groups acculturate, they move away from healthier traditional diets and adopt aspects of the Anglo-American lifestyle that contribute to their health decline. General issues, such as patterns of immigration and acculturation, are considered in relation to health issues, such as coronary heart disease, and misconceptions about the health of Latino groups are contrasted with actual data. The chapter focuses on specific health psychology issues of various Latino groups, including coronary heart disease, HIV/AIDS, cervical cancer, diabetes, and chronic pain management. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2002 APA, all rights reserved).