What do we know about Central American Immigrant Health? A Review of the Literature

Background: There is wide agreement that Latinos should not be treated as a monolithic group in health research and that the health of subgroups needs to be further elucidated. However, little is known about the health of Central American immigrants, the fastest growing Latino immigrant group in the United States. Immigrants from this region have distinct cultural factors, and national and immigration histories. Methods: A search of Medline was conducted using the key words “Central America/n”, “Latino” and each country of origin. Health topics were grouped and significant findings were assessed within each of these areas, with a specific focus on health risk factors and outcomes that differed from other Latino subgroups. Results: Preliminary results as of May 2009 yielded n=47 articles published between 1983 and May 2009. The articles were grouped into the following key topics: 1) the health effects of violence, 2) maternal and child health, 3) STIs and 4) other topics. Results updated through August 2010 will be presented with the final analysis. Conclusion: A small literature has been developed on Central American immigrant groups over the last two decades. However, many gaps remain in our knowledge of determinants of health in this subgroup. Studies reviewed generally have small sample sizes or group Central American immigrants with other Latino immigrants with divergent historical, cultural and immigrant experiences. Further research should focus on improving sampling procedures to analyze data for Central Americans and providing an integrative approach to Central American immigrant health using multidisciplinary methods.