Culture Supports Health for California Latinos

Despite high risk factors, Latinos in California have “spectacular health outcomes,” David Hayes-Bautista told a skeptical audience at last month’s Latino Health Forum, sponsored by the HMS Office for Diversity and Community Partnership. The professor of medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA was referring to the Vital Statistics of L.A. County, which show that mortality rates from disease—including cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, and infant mortality—are lower for Latinos in California than for the state’s majority population. Where did these healthy behaviors come from? “Maybe we need to look at the culture to understand the role of all the grandmas,” he suggested. Close proximity to abuelas (grandmothers) in the community, ready with advice and support, are part of the reason pregnant Latinas are less likely to smoke and use drugs. The result is healthier babies. Hayes-Bautista calls this phenomenon “cultural competence in medicine” and notes that as Latinos become more acculturated, these healthy behaviors start to weaken. “We still don’t know what the mechanisms are and how they work to promote health,” Hayes-Bautista said. “We need more studies.” He encouraged students and researchers in the audience to do prospective research on the importance of women in transmitting culture, as well as the role of spirituality, family, and social networks. Considering that Latinos are projected to make up 40 percent of the California population by 2040, Hayes-Bautista asked the audience to “look at the strengths that diversity could bring to public health.”