Opportunities for action: addressing Latina sexual and reproductive health.

Volume 37, Number 1, March 2005 Latinas account for approximately one in every seven U.S. women of reproductive age.1 Although several national organizations and numerous local groups are dedicated to improving Latino health, significant gaps exist in the breadth and depth of information available on Latina sexual and reproductive health. Analyses from national and small-scale investigations usually compare Latinas with other groups on only one or two sexual and reproductive health indicators. National surveys often include too few Latina respondents to permit rigorous analyses, and sample size constraints prevent researchers from comparing subgroups of Latinas. Moreover, existing information on Latina sexual and reproductive health has not been adequately analyzed or assembled in a way that is accessible to health professionals, policymakers and advocates. Too often, research projects solicit assistance from community-based organizations in translating materials or fielding interviews, only to later alienate them by shaping outreach messages and disseminating findings without community input. In February 2004, The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) and the Latino Issues Forum (LIF) convened a meeting of health professionals, advocates and researchers to begin a discussion on improving policymaking, research and resources for Latina sexual and reproductive health nationwide. Participants represented a range of experiences with different health care systems and populations. For many, the meeting marked their first opportunity to voice concerns and ideas with colleagues from different disciplines. The priorities they identified to strengthen sexual and reproductive health information and services for Latinas are presented here as an action plan for marshaling the evidence and funding needed to improve Latina sexual and reproductive health across the United States. While the action plan highlights Latinas’ experiences with sexual and reproductive health care, it aims to call attention to the issues involved in providing quality health care to all minority groups. Other minority groups, including black, Asian American and American Indian women, face similar difficulties in accessing sexual and reproductive health care. The action plan uses a positive framework for exploring issues related to Latina health specifically and minority health in general. As one participant noted, it is important to incorporate the idea of community and its assets instead of using a perspective that designs research, policy and programs solely around deficits. As the recommendations make clear, Latina sexual and reproductive health cannot be neatly compartmentalized under the rubric of minority health, women’s empowerment, human rights, poverty alleviation or the movement for universal access to general health care. Latina sexual and reproductive health is crucial to the advancement of all these causes and requires targeted and sufficient resources; innovative strategies for collaboration; and direct, immediate attention. AGI and LIF intend the action plan to be a catalyst for an ongoing effort to mobilize new knowledge and resources.