Poverty, self-concept, and health: experience of Latinas

America's largest minority group at the beginning of the twenty-first century will be Hispanics/Latinos. Only a few years away from the new century, this group faces the sad reality of being at the lowest rung of the economic ladder, exhibiting poor health, being ignored in the data-collection process, and thought of as having low self-concept. A brief review of who they are and a summary of the data available in the areas of poverty, self concept, and health as they pertain to Hispanics/Latinos are provided. (The term "Hispanic" and "Latino" will be used interchangeably to describe the same population.) A vocational and counseling approach used at San Francisco Mission Community College is described and its effectiveness for Hispanic women is discussed. Recommendations for future work are provided.