ABSTRACT
Culturally-Rich Prevention Research. Disease prevention and health promotion are important public health strategies with Latina/os, given that, as a population, they are disproportionately represented within the lower socioeconomic strata of American society (Molina, Zambrana, & Aguirre-Molina, 1994). Furthermore, various cultural differences involving the Spanish language and Latina/o customs and traditions that differ from those of mainstream American society are associated with a limited access to health care and to valued social resources (Giachello, 1994; Ginsberg, 1991). As a consequence, certain sectors of the U.S. Latina/o population, including many Chicana/o subpopulations, experience greater risks for various diseases and disabilities, including alcohol abuse, obesity, Type-2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and cancer (Flack, Amaro, Jenkins, Kunitz, Levy, Mixon, & Yu, 1995). To address these needs, an important challenge in prevention research is to conduct culturally rich research that informs the design and development of culturally relevant health-promotion and disease-prevention programs for Latina/os (Castro, Cota, & Vega, 1999; Castro & Gutierres, 1997).
