ABSTRACT
Language and cultural practices have observable impacts on Latino health in interpersonal communication, whether that communication occurs directly between providers and patients or whether it is mediated through an interpreter. Language and cultural practices permeate the circulation of health-related messages in fields that are far removed from the hospital and the clinic. Language use is a contextual factor that may influence health care and health outcomes, and assessing L1 and L2 proficiency should become the norm in health literacy studies with language minorities. The predominant focus on individual health literacy and health information seeking behaviors elides significant language and cultural practices in the approaches that Spanish speakers take to obtaining health information. Promotoras de Salud or community health workers have emerged as critical actors within the language and communication ecologies that impact health information seeking and utilization in Spanish-speaking populations.
