Session: Conducting Community-Based Health Disparity Research Among Diverse Latino Immigrant Populations (Society for Social Work and Research 21st Annual Conference - Ensure Healthy Development for all Youth)

All of the papers in this symposium address the health and wellbeing of underserved Latino youth and adults within South Florida via research conducted through the Florida International University Center for Research on U.S. Latinos, HIV/AIDS, and Drug Abuse (CRUSADA), one of the nation’s leading academic centers in health disparity research. CRUSADA is a multi-disciplinary research, education, and community outreach center dedicated to eliminating health disparities, understanding and preventing substance abuse and HIV/AIDS within the Southern Florida community. Researchers at CRUSADA investigate the individual, interpersonal, and community level socio-cultural determinants of health among youth, young adult, and adult Latino populations. CRUSADA also aims at enhancing trust between researchers and the community by implementing community based participatory research, which informs how tailor existing evidence-based prevention/intervention programs to be culturally relevant. Strengthening their cultural relevance will help to facilitate their implementations in Latinos in the future.

The four papers in this symposium consider diverse factors affecting the health and wellbeing of this Latino community, as well as cutting-edge statistical and methodological approaches that are culturally informed. The Latino population in south Florida came from more diverse background than Latino immigrants in other parts of US. Latinos of Mexican origin comprise only a small portion of Latinos in South Florida. While Cuban-Americans still comprise a large segment of the population, the region is changing. South Florida has a high share of foreign-born Latinos compared with many of the other metro areas -- foreign born Latinos come from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, as well as other Central and South American countries such as Guatemala, Colombia, El Salvador, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Honduras and Brazil. Many Latino immigrants in this region are farm workers who are considered one of the poorest and most marginalized Latino population in the US. Social determinants of health are unique for this unique group of Latinos.

This symposium brings together issues related to disparities related to HIV and substance use including driving under the influence, sexual trauma, overall wellbeing, and neighborhood socioeconomics and ethnic density. Although each paper demonstrates novel findings and innovative methodological approaches related to its specific focus, the symposium as a whole speaks to share our experiences that can be used to develop the most effective combination of behavioral interventions to optimize the health status of the most neglected and understudied Latino populations affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and substance use disorders in the US.