This monthly digest is written primarily for the staff of UC Cooperative Extension. It is produced by the staff of ANR's News and Information Outreach in Spanish (NOS) based on news reported by mainstream news media and reputable research institutions. Inclusion in the digest does not imply endorsement, nor does SBMS assume responsibility for the veracity of the information. We invite our readers to refer to the source to read more of each particular brief; we'll try to always include a link.

A new report of the National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) Institute for Hispanic Health, in partnership with Berlex, Inc., reveals barriers to good sexual and reproductive health among Latino couples in the US. These barriers include inadequate education, lack of insurance, limited access to health care and cultural barriers. One consequence is that some Latina women resort to family planning without their partners’ knowledge and feel the entire family planning process rests solely on them. With 54 percent of Latino pregnancies unplanned, compared to 40 percent of white/non-Hispanic pregnancies, there is a need to address the barriers to better reproductive health knowledge and practices. In addition, cultural factors such as upbringing, fear of being judged and machismo were identified in the research as discouraging Latino couples from communicating about sex and reproductive health issues. Researchers also found that many Latinos living in the US order contraceptive products from their country of origin or ask others to bring them from these countries.

Source: National Council of La Raza Research Report “Entre Parejas: An Exploration of Latino's Perspectives Regarding Family-Planning and Contraception”, July 2006, www.nclr.org

Hispanics of all ages and generations hold on to the desire to ‘look their best’ at all times. This is evidenced by the fact that, despite incomes being on average 27 percent lower, the population does not skimp on its personal care spending. According to a recent Mintel’s market research report, the level of interest in personal appearance and grooming holds true regardless of age or the presence of children in a household, and suggests that Hispanic women not only show a high degree of self-confidence, but also make consistent efforts to maintain stylish hair, makeup and nail care. Hispanic men also show a higher-than-average interest in looking their best and many of their personal care preferences mirror those of Hispanic women. While many Hispanics use the same products and brands as non-Hispanics, some distinctions emerge for brands, products and frequency of usage. Demographic shifts among the Hispanic population will make these variations either more or less distinct over time depending on the product or brand. Attitudes, which drive purchase behavior, vary among Hispanics as well. These variations are most pronounced by age, gender and birthplace. Mintel found that amongst recent immigrants there is a belief in fatalism or not being in control of their own destiny, a belief that affects attitudes about purchases of such items as skin care and sun care products. This means that interest in preventative products such as sun care and anti-aging treatments is low.

Source: “Hispanics and Personal Care, US, July 2006”, http://reports.mintel.com/, and “An image-conscious growing Hispanic population spells big prospects”, July 21, 2006, www.CosmeticsDesign.com

Predominantly bilingual and bicultural, Hispanic teens in the U.S. are complex, celebrating their ethnic identity and effortlessly combining it with mainstream teen culture. They are addicted to MySpace.com and glued to mainstream TV, but have the advantage of choice -- engaging with Spanish language media as long as it validates who they are. They find value and security in both their social network of friends and their family connections. These are some of the highlights of Nuestro Futuro: Hispanic Teens in Their Own Words, a video profile of U.S. Hispanic teen lifestyles, attitudes and behaviors released by Cheskin. Produced from over 30 hours of in-depth at-home interviews with more than 30 Hispanic teens across the US, ages 13 to 19, the profile illuminates key issues in the words of teens themselves. The researchers believe that with youth, the trend is toward 'intraculturalism' -- the combining, sharing, and recreating of multiple ethnic identity influences. Nuestro Futuro provides insights in many areas: 

·         There are multiple levels of complexity in how Hispanic teens identify themselves. While Hispanic traditions provide grounding, this segment maintains a multicultural, broad worldview and embrace diversity. Family orientation is important, but so is establishing their unique individuality.

·         They have influence within their own families as role models and navigators, and as cultural ambassadors with their friends. They are proud of the growing influence of Hispanic culture in the U.S.

·         They are optimistic. While achievement oriented, they also seek life balance and opportunities for altruism. Education is important to them, and they recognize the advantages of their own bilingualism.

Source: Nuestro Futuro: Hispanic Kids in Their Own Words, Cheskin, June

12, 2006, http://www.cheskin.com/

The vast majority of undocumented migrants from Mexico were employed before they left for the United States, according to a Pew Hispanic Center report. Failure to find work at home does not seem to be the primary reason that the estimated 6.3 million undocumented migrants from Mexico have come to the U.S. Two-thirds of respondents who entered the U.S. in the past two years worked in agriculture, construction, manufacturing or retail trade in Mexico. Once they arrive in the U.S., migrants have little trouble finding work. Family networks play a key role in locating jobs for migrants, the study found. These findings emerge from the Pew Hispanic Center's Survey of Mexican Migrants. The respondents were not asked directly to specify their immigration status, however most are believed to lack authorization to work in the U.S. The survey provides a unique opportunity to study the economic status of a population that is otherwise very difficult to measure.

Source: Kochhar, Rakesh, “Survey of Mexican Migrants, Part Three: The Economic Transition to America,” The Pew Hispanic Center. http://pewhispanic.org

The enormous success of McDonald’s Dollar Menu has helped stimulate 36 months of sales growth at stores open at least a year. McDonald’s has marketed the Dollar Menu to teenagers, young adults and minorities who are already plagued with an especially high incidence of obesity and related health problems. “If you’re looking at the Dollar Menu in terms of how much food you get, it really appears as a good bargain,” said Connie Schneider, the nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisor at UCCE in Fresno County. “But if you’re looking at it as how many nutrients are you getting, it’s the least economical.” McDonalds gets 34 to 36 percent of its sales from Hispanics and blacks combined, while they represent just 26 percent of the U.S. population. Marketing experts say McDonald’s, which has long been proud of its inclusive advertising, is among the most shrewd when it comes to reaching blacks and Hispanics. The company’s ads aimed at black consumers tend to be stylish and use hip contemporary language and music. Ads aimed at Hispanics in both Spanish and English often feature groups of friends or families gathered at McDonalds. In the last four years, McDonalds has increased its advertising spending on Spanish-language television by 60 percent, to $57.4 million a year, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

Source: Warner, Melanie, “Salads or No, Cheap Burgers Revive McDonalds,” The New York Times, April 19, 2006. http://www.nytimes.com.

The perception is that U.S. Hispanics mainly watch telenovelas (soap operas) on Spanish-language TV. While telenovelas are certainly popular, Hispanics, like television viewers in general, are more inclined to watch news and political shows than any other format, and by a substantial margin. Moreover, Hispanics are hardly wed solely to Spanish-language TV. They spend a surprising amount of time watching the English-language networks. These are two conclusions of a new study by Encuesta, a Hispanic market research firm, based on a telephone survey of 335 respondents. It found that 68 percent of respondents reported watching news or political talk shows at least once a week, while 43 percent said they watch telenovelas once or more a week. The respondents watch other formats as well, but with a frequency related to their acculturation levels: 28 percent of U.S.-born respondents watch reality shows, while only 18 percent of foreign-born respondents do. And American-born respondents were more likely than their counterparts to watch sitcoms (25 percent versus 16 percent) and home improvement, cooking or travel shows (31 percent versus 20 percent). In terms of Spanish-language versus English-language television, the study found that more than half of the respondents split their viewing, watching some of each. Even among the foreign-born respondents, English viewing is surprisingly high, with 57 percent saying they watch either some English-language TV or English-language TV exclusively. When it comes to soaps, Encuesta found viewers spent about 7.2 hours per week watching telenovelas but nearly as many hours watching soaps in English, 5.9 hours.

Source: “For Hispanics, TV is not just novelas”, July 28, 2006, Media Life Magazine, http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_6276.asp