Using community-based participatory research methods to assess the health of Latinos in a community setting

In a 2006 community assessment on quality of life, a telephone survey was conducted with 266 Latino community members. Overall health, psychological wellbeing and access to health-care were evaluated using an assessment survey instrument. Approximately 87% of Spanish speaking community members report their health as good or better compared to 65% in a similar assessment conducted in 2001. In assessing prevalence of chronic health conditions, diabetes within the Latino population was above the Healthy People 2010 goal. Lifestyle behaviors were assessed and 19% of Latinos stated that they engaged in at least 30 minutes of physical activity for 5 or more days per week below the Healthy People 2010 goal of 30%. Eighty-three percent of women stated that they had obtained prenatal care during the first trimester below the Healthy People 2010 goal of 90%. Twenty-five percent of Latinos stated that they had experienced serious psychological distress within the last 30 days up from 17% in 2001. When assessing access to health-care services, 13% of Latinos stated that they had difficulty in obtaining such services in a timely manner with lack of insurance being the primary reason. Within the same community, only 6% of English speaking adults (under 65 years of age) and 2% of English-speaking seniors (65 years and older) stated that they had difficulty obtaining needed health-care services in a timely manner. Overall, there is a clear need to prioritize the health needs of Latinos residing within this community.