Use of preventive maternal and child health services by Latina women: a review of published intervention studies

Abstract

Some health indicators for Latinos tend to be more positive than socioeconomic status would predict. Yet, Latina women and their young children use fewer preventive health services and have a higher incidence of preventable diseases than non-Hispanic whites. The Institute of Medicine recently called for intervention research among minority subgroups to end racial and ethnic disparities in health care. To help guide future intervention research, this article presents a critique and synthesis of the peer-reviewed literature on interventions that enroll Latina women into preventive reproductive health services (prenatal care, cervical cancer screening, and child immunizations). Results are presented according to three categories of interventions: improvements within formal health care settings, outreach through lay health advisors (promotoras) and media, and interventions combining these approaches. An agenda for intervention research is proposed for preventive-care use by this population.