The Latino population – a young, diverse and fast-growing community – faces some of the greatest health risks in California. Asthma, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cervical and breast cancer, sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS, unintended teen pregnancies, and mental illness are some of the significant health risks that are impacting the Latino population of California. Lack of insurance remains a major barrier to obtaining basic healthcare for Latinos in the state. Affordability and language access services are imperative to the health of Latinos in California. Also, Latinos are disproportionately harmed by environmental health hazards compared to the general population.

As a result of these concerns, LIF has created a health program that advocates for policies and initiatives that promote a healthy quality of life for all Latinos by increasing access to comprehensive healthcare. In 2007, LIF co-sponsored AB 1472 (Leno) which required the State Department of Public Health to develop guidelines for Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) to be utilized by County Public Health departments. In addition, LIF conducted a Latino Health Needs Assessment in 2008 that revealed the barriers Latinos face in reference to access, quality and affordability of health care. Since LIF works in coalition with over 30 organizations, we have become the leading organization providing a unified voice on health concerns affecting the Latino community.

This month, LIF will share resources with the community in order to engage in a dialogue about the current health needs of Latinos and to foster the creation of innovative policy solutions that meet these needs. We will be particularly focused on reproductive and environmental health. These themes drove the dialogue among academics and community leaders during the policy briefing in Los Angeles on April 17, 2009.
 

Reproductive health:
•    Latinas have the highest risk of developing cervical cancer in California. In the Central Valley, for example, cervical cancer rates  for Latinas are three times higher than those of Non-Hispanic Caucasians and  are the highest among all ethnic groups. This is somewhat attributed to a low incidence of regular screening such as Pap smear tests among Latinas (1,2).
•    Latinas have the highest rates of cervical cancer caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which is considered the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. (3).
•    Latinos diagnosed with HIV develop AIDS within one year of diagnosis, which suggests that the majority of Latinos are diagnosed 8-10 years after acquiring HIV. Moreover, Latinas represent 29 percent of women living with HIV in California (4).

Environmental health
•    One in six Latinos have been diagnosed with asthma in California. In the San Joaquin Valley, nearly one in five children has asthma (5).
•    Nearly 90% of U.S. farm workers are Latino, and many of these laborers and their families are routinely exposed to toxic pesticides. In California, Hispanics employed as farm workers were found to have 59-69% greater risk of getting stomach, cervical, and uterine cancer, and some leukemias, compared with other Hispanics in the state (6).
•    The placement of freeways and other major transportation hubs are disproportionately located in Latino or other low income communities, therefore these communities are the ones most impacted by diesel pollution (5). 41% of Latinos are likely to report respiratory problems in their household (7).