The ASU College of Nursing is reaching out to the Hispanic community with a new Web site that specifically addresses Latino health issues.
The college and Southwest Borderlands -- an on-campus organization that sets out to integrate ASU with research along the Mexican-American border -- worked together to have the site launched before the end of Hispanic Heritage month on Oct. 15.
The site is set up to provide information in Spanish and English about Hispanic health issues such as obesity and diabetes, as well as traditional folk-healing practices used by some Latinos.
It also aims to educate Latinos about modern American health practices.
Carol Baldwin, associate professor in the College of Nursing, was instrumental in making the site, which has been in the works for nine months.
Baldwin said she "wanted to help [Latinos] understand their culture and health care."
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, diabetes and obesity occur 1.5 times more frequently in Hispanic women than white American women. Also, Latinos are twice as likely to get retinopathy and kidney disease as white Americans.
Another issue that faces the Hispanic community is health insurance, Baldwin said.
The Center for Studying Health System Changes reported that in 2001, only 68 percent of Latinos had health insurance, while 81 percent of African Americans and 89.2 percent of whites had health insurance.
With numbers like that, "how can we not provide health info, especially in their native language?" Baldwin said.
Right now, only parts of the Web site offer both Spanish and English information. A team is working to have the entire site in both languages as soon as possible, Baldwin said.
Web designer Thomas Leyba, an English graduate student, said including information about traditional folk healing was an important aspect of the site.
"While I certainly appreciate the potential of the spirit to heal, I also value the gifts of science," he said.
Leyba added that many Hispanics who adhere to traditional practices are not getting modern treatments for diseases.
The site does not recommend whether modern practices or traditional healing is better, but provides supplemental reading about each.
Reach the reporter at amanda.m.gonser@asu.edu.
