In this qualitative interview study, we took a two-pronged approach to understand the complexities of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care access for Latinas in an emerging Latino community (ELC). Phase 1 assessed the SRH resources available for uninsured Latinas through provider interviews. In Phase 2, we interviewed 15 Latina-identified women about their considerations for SRH care-seeking. The scant options for SRH care are focused largely on contraception and pregnancy. Providers viewed themselves as prevention-oriented and perceived Latinas did not prioritize preventive care. Women described compounding challenges and precarious conditions. Annual checkups, accessing contraception, and treating vaginal infections were identified as needs. Barriers to SRH care were enhanced in an ELC. Participants described too much paperwork and limited time as organizational barriers which aggravated others, such as language limitations and feeling embarrassed to ask questions. Further research on SRH care using a reproductive justice approach is needed in ELCs.
AlvarezC.VillarruelA. (2015). Association of gender norms, relationship and intrapersonal variables, and acculturation with sexual communication among young adult Latinos. Research in Nursing & Health, 38(2), 121–132.
2.
Balls-BerryJ. E.Acosta-PerezE. (2017). The use of community engaged research principles to improve health: Community academic partnerships for research. Puerto Rico Health Sciences Journal, 36(2), 84–85. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28622404
3.
BernardH. R.WutichA.RyanG. W. (2016). Analyzing qualitative data: Systematic approaches. SAGE.
4.
BetancourtG. S.ColarossiL.PerezA. (2013). Factors associated with sexual and reproductive health care by Mexican immigrant women in New York City: A mixed method study. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 15(2), 326–333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9588-4
5.
CarrD.IbukaY.RussellL. B. (2010). How much time do Americans spend seeking health care? Racial and ethnic differences in patient experiences. In KronenfeldJ. (Ed.), The impact of demographics on health and health care: Race, ethnicity and other social factors (pp. 71–98). Emerald Group.
6.
CianelliR.VillegasN.LawsonS.FerrerL.KaelberL.PeragalloN.YayaA. (2013). Unique factors that place older Hispanic women at risk for HIV: Intimate partner violence, machismo, and marianismo. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 24(4), 341–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jana.2013.01.009
7.
ClarkeS.McKenzieH.Lamaro HaintzG.GrahamM. (2020). Social support and women’s reproductive decision making: Testing emergent fit of “optimizing support for the preservation of self.”Qualitative Health Research, 30(7), 975–987. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732320904713
8.
CristanchoS.GarcesD. M.PetersK. E.MuellerB. C. (2008). Listening to rural Hispanic immigrants in the Midwest: A community-based participatory assessment of major barriers to health care access and use. Qualitative Health Research, 18(5), 633–646. https://doi.org/10.1177/1649732308316669
9.
CristanchoS.PetersK. E.GarcesD. M. (2011). Latinos in rural areas: Addressing mental health disparities in new growth communities. In BukiL. P.PiedraL. M. (Eds.), Creating infrastructures for Latino mental health (pp. 215–231). Springer.
10.
CunninghamP.BankerM.ArtigaS.TolbertJ. (2006). Health coverage and access to care for Hispanics in new growth communities and major Hispanic centers. Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
11.
DehlendorfC.FitzpatrickJ.SteinauerJ.SwiaderL.GrumbachK.HallC.KuppermannM. (2017). Development and field testing of a decision support tool to facilitate shared decision making in contraceptive counseling. Patient Education and Counseling, 100(7), 1374–1381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2017.02.009
12.
DocumetP. I.KamouyerouA.PesantesA.MaciaL.MaldonadoH.FoxA.. . . GuadamuzT. (2015). Participatory assessment of the health of Latino immigrant men in a community with a growing Latino population. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 17(1), 239–247. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9897-2
13.
DocumetP. I.MaciaL.BoyzoR.ThompsonA. F.AmruthapuriR. (2019). Outcomes from a male-to-male promotores intervention in an Emerging Latino Community. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 22(4), 717–726. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-019-00939-w
14.
DominguezK.Penman-AguilarA.ChangM.-H.MoonesingheR.CastellanosT.Rodriguez-LainzA.SchieberR. (2015). Vital signs: Leading causes of death, prevalence of diseases and risk factors, and use of health services among Hispanics in the United States: 2009-2013. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 64(17), Article 469.
15.
EatonA. A.StephensD. P. (2020). Reproductive justice special issue introduction “reproductive justice: Moving the margins to the center in social issues research.”Journal of Social Issues, 76(2), 208–218.
16.
FortunaL. R.NoroñaC. R.PorcheM. V.TillmanC.PatilP. A.WangY.. . . AlegríaM. (2019). Trauma, immigration, and sexual health among Latina women: Implications for maternal-child well-being and reproductive justice. Infant Mental Health Journal, 40(5), 640–658. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6972560/pdf/IMHJ-40-640.pdf
GilliamM. L.NeustadtA.WhitakerA.KozloskiM. (2011). Familial, cultural and psychosocial influences of use of effective methods of contraception among Mexican-American adolescents and young adults. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 24(2), 79–84. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5145289/pdf/nihms833051.pdf
GrederK.ReinaA. S. (2019). Procuring health: Experiences of Mexican immigrant women in rural midwestern communities. Qualitative Health Research, 29(2), 1334–1344. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732318816676
22.
GrossmanD. (2017). Sexual and reproductive health under the Trump presidency: Policy change threatens women in the USA and worldwide. Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care, 43(2), 89–91. https://srh.bmj.com/content/familyplanning/43/2/89.full.pdf
23.
Guerra-ReyesL.Iguiñiz-RomeroR. (2019). Performing purity: Reproductive decision-making and implications for a community under threat of Zika in Iquitos, Peru. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 21(2), 309–322. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2018.1469790
24.
HaderxhanajL. T.DittusP. J.LoosierP. S.RhodesS. D.BloomF. R.LeichliterJ. S. (2014). Acculturation, sexual behaviors, and health care access among Hispanic and non-Hispanic White adolescents and young adults in the United States, 2006-2010. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55(5), 716–719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.06.018
InsafT. Z.JurkowskiJ. M.AlomarL. (2010). Sociocultural factors influencing delay in seeking routine health care among Latinas: A community-based participatory research study. Ethnicity & Disease, 20(2), 148–154.
27.
JacquezF.VaughnL.Zhen-DuanJ.GrahamC. (2016). Health care use and barriers to care among Latino immigrants in a new migration area. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 27(4), 1761–1778. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2016.0161
28.
JacquezF.VaughnL. M.PelleyT.TopmillerM. (2015). Healthcare experiences of Latinos in a nontraditional destination area. Journal of Community Practice, 23(1), 76–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2014.983629
29.
LapeyrouseL. M.MirandaP. Y.MoreraO. F.HeymanJ. M.BalcazarH. G. (2017). Healthcare use and mammography among Latinas with and without health insurance near the U.S.–Mexico border. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 4(2), 282–287. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-016-0227-y
30.
López-CevallosD.HarveyS. M. (2016). Foreign-born Latinos living in rural areas are more likely to experience health care discrimination: Results from Proyecto de Salud para Latinos. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 18, 928–934. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0281-2
31.
Lopez-ClassM.CastroF. G.RamirezA. G. (2011). Conceptions of acculturation: A review and statement of critical issues. Social Science & Medicine, 72(9), 1555–1562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.03.011
32.
MannL.TannerA. E.SunC. J.ErausquinJ. T.SimanF. M.DownsM.RhodesS. D. (2016). Listening to the voices of Latina women: Sexual and reproductive health intervention needs and priorities in a new settlement state in the United States. Health Care for Women International, 37(9), 979–994. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5053913/pdf/nihms815176.pdf
33.
MarrowH. B.JosephT. D. (2015). Excluded and frozen out: Unauthorised immigrants’ (non)access to care after U.S. health care reform. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 41(14), 2253–2273. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2015.1051465
34.
MarvánM. L.EhrenzweigY.Catillo-LópezR. L. (2016). Fatalistic beliefs and cervical cancer screening among Mexican women. Health Care for Women International, 37(1), 140–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2014.959169
35.
MonnatS. M. (2017). The new destination disadvantage: Disparities in Hispanic health insurance coverage rates in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan new and established destinations. Rural Sociology, 82(1), 3–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12116
36.
NathensonR. A.SalonerB.RichardsM. R.RhodesK. V. (2016). Spanish-speaking immigrants’ access to safety net providers and translation services across traditional and emerging U.S. destinations. The Milbank Quarterly, 94(4), 768–799. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5192811/pdf/MILQ-94-768.pdf
37.
NieblerM.DocumetP. I.Chaves-GneccoD.GuadamuzT. E. (2016). Birth experiences of immigrant Latina women in a new growth community. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 3(3), 466–472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-015-0159-y
38.
Palmer-WackerlyA. L.ChaidezV.WaymentC.BakerJ.AdamsA.WheelerL. A. (2020). Listening to the voices of community health workers: A multilevel, culture-centered approach to overcoming structural barriers in U.S. Latinx communities. Qualitative Health Research, 30(3), 423–436. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732319855963
39.
PazK.MasseyK. P. (2016). Health disparity among Latina women: Comparison with non-Latina women: Supplementary issue—Health disparities in women. Clinical Medicine Insights: Women’s Health, 9(S1). https://doi.org/10.4137/cmwh.S38488
40.
PhilbinM. M.FlakeM.HatzenbuehlerM. L.HirschJ. S. (2018). State-level immigration and immigrant-focused policies as drivers of Latino health disparities in the United States. Social Science & Medicine, 199, 29–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.04.007
41.
SangaramoorthyT.GuevaraE. M. (2017). Immigrant health in rural Maryland: A qualitative study of major barriers to health care access. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 19(4), 939–946. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0417-z
42.
ShattellM. M.Quinlan-ColwellA.VillalbaJ.IversN. N.MailsM. (2010). A cognitive-behavioral group therapy intervention with depressed Spanish-speaking Mexican women living in an emerging immigrant community in the United States. Advances in Nursing Science, 33(2), 158–169.
43.
SimonsL. P.van den HeuvelW. A.JonkerC. M. (2018). eHealth WhatsApp group for social support: Preliminary results. https://aisel.aisnet.org/bled2018/28/
44.
SingerM.BaerH. (2018). Critical medical anthropology. Routledge.
Velasco-MondragonE.JimenezA.Palladino-DavisA. G.DavisD.Escamilla-CejudoJ. A. (2016). Hispanic health in the USA: A scoping review of the literature. Public Health Reviews, 37(1), 31. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40985-016-0043-2
47.
Vergara PeñaililloM. M.Beytia ValenzuelaN. A.Sanhueza ArayaG. I. (2018). Effects of a health promotion intervention using WhatsApp on student’s physical activity at Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción[Kinesiology Licenciado]. Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción. http://repositoriodigital.ucsc.cl/handle/25022009/1369
48.
VillarM.ConchaM.ZamithR. (2012). Health beliefs and attitudes of Latino immigrants: Rethinking acculturation as a constant. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 14(5), 885–889. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9579-5
49.
Viruell-FuentesE. A.MirandaP. Y.AbdulrahimS. (2012). More than culture: Structural racism, intersectionality theory, and immigrant health. Social Science & Medicine, 75(12), 2099–2106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.12.037
50.
WhiteK.OcampoM.ScarinciI. C. (2017). A socio-ecological approach for examining factors related to contraceptive use among recent Latina immigrants in an emerging Latino state. Women & Health, 57(7), 872–889.
