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This dissertation examines the need for a three-pronged missiological response to the emergent Latino population in the United States. Chapter 1 introduces the need for a missiological response to the Latino population in the United States. It begins with a history of the Hispanic presence in this country, including an in-depth look at the present population configuration. This chapter also examines the cultural idiosyncrasies of Latinos. Chapter 2 begins with the explanation of the primary response to the Latino population in the United States: church planting. Both the biblical basis for church planting and the demographic need for more Hispanic churches in the country are examined. The chapter also identifies the problems of planting churches and provides an effective model for church planting among the Hispanics of the United States. Chapters 3 and 4 are complementary to the church planting chapter. Chapter 3 delineates the need for social ministry as a part of church planting in the Hispanic context. In an effort to avoid social ministry for social ministry's sake alone, the chapter begins with a biblical basis for social ministry. The discussion continues with an examination of different perspectives on the subject. The chapter includes a discussion of how the Hispanic church can biblically participate in social ministry white, at the same time, avoiding becoming a mere social agency. The chapter concludes with suggestions for the types of ministry needed by the Hispanic community. Chapter 4 discusses leadership development, the third part of the proposed missiological response. The premise is that for healthy churches to develop from the needed Hispanic church plants, leaders must be trained to minister in them. Attention, therefore, is given to the types of leadership development needed to develop a healthy Hispanic church model. The discussion includes effective models of leadership development for both the laity and clergy. Model programs are recommended for church-based programs and for formal education. Chapter 5 draws the three elements of the proposed missiological response to a proper conclusion. The chapter also includes suggestions for further research in this area. / This dissertation is made available for world-wide download through the permission of the author. This dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

Background: Hispanics account for more than half of the total United States (US) population growth between 2000 and 2010. To gain a comprehensive understanding of a predominantly Hispanic urban community in Northern Manhattan, the aims of this cross-sectional observational study were: (1) to characterize the actual and perceived neighborhood food environment in Northern Manhattan, (2) to understand the relationship between the actual and perceived neighborhood food environment, sociodemographic characteristics and the likelihood of consuming five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and (3) to describe the contribution of participants’ sociodemographic characteristics and health behavior to their health outcomes. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was undertaken as part of the larger Washington Heights/Inwood Informatics Infrastructure for Comparative Effectiveness Research (WICER) project. English or Spanish-speaking Hispanic participants (n=4,019) 18 years and older living in Northern Manhattan’s five ZIP codes were recruited and interviewed by English-Spanish bilingual community health workers. Food outlets selling fruits and vegetables were identified using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) definitions obtained from the ReferenceUSA’s national business database. The neighborhood food environment was characterized by integrating the geocoded addresses of WICER study participants with external geographic-level data on food outlets present in the participants’ respective 0.25-mile and 0.5-mile residential radii. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regressions. Results: The food outlet types that sell fruit and vegetable in Northern Manhattan include small and medium/large size Supermarket/Grocery store, Meat Market, and Fruit and Vegetable Market. The majority of these food outlets (91.5%) are single location stores that have a smaller store space. The presence of Fruit and Vegetable Markets (2+ Stores in 0.25-mile: OR=1.59, p = 0.003; 1 Store in 0.5-mile: OR=2.28, p = 0.008; 2+ Stores in 0.5-mile: OR=3.10, p = 0.00) significantly increase the odds of participant’s perception that a large selection of fresh fruits and vegetables is available in their neighborhood. The presence of Fruit and Vegetable Markets (2+ Stores in 0.25-mile: OR=1.51, p = 0.003; 1 Store in 0.5-mile: OR=2.25, p = 0.004; 2+ Stores in 0.5-mile: OR=3.31, p = 0.00) as well as the presence of medium/large size Supermarket/Grocery in 0.25-mile (OR=1.05, p = 0.013) significantly increase the odds of participant’s perception that the fresh fruits and vegetables in their neighborhood are of high quality whereas the presence of Meat Market in the participant’s 0.25-mile (OR=0.74, p = 0.002) significantly lower the odds. The presence of Fruit and Vegetable Markets (1 Store in 0.25-mile: OR=1.23, p = 0.047; 2+ Stores in 0.25-mile: OR=1.37, p = 0.020; 2+ Stores in 0.5-mile: OR=1.94, p = 0.018) as well as the presence of medium/large size Supermarket/Grocery (0.25-mile: OR=1.05, p = 0.020; 0.5-mile: OR=1.05, p = 0.018) significantly increase the odds of participant’s perception that a large selection of low-fat products is available in their neighborhood whereas the presence of Meat Market in the participant’s 0.25-mile (OR=0.83, p = 0.042) significantly lowers the odds. Variables that significantly increase the participants’ odds of consuming five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day include having more than a high school education (0.25-mile and 0.5-mile models: OR=1.62, p = 0.004) and being foreign-born (0.25-mile model: Foreign-born in Dominican Republic: OR=1.77, p = 0.032; Foreign-born outside of the United States or the Dominican Republic: OR=2.44, p = 0.007; 0.5-mile model: Foreign-born in the Dominican Republic: OR=1.73, p = 0.040; Foreign-born outside of the United States or the Dominican Republic: OR=2.48, p = 0.006). In contrast, the participants’ perception that a large selection of fresh fruits and vegetables is available in their neighborhood (0.25-mile model: OR=0.63, p = 0.011; 0.5-mile model: OR=0.64, p = 0.016) and the presence of Fruit and Vegetable Market in their 0.5-mile radius (1 Store: OR=0.32, p = 0.006; 2+ Stores: OR=0.38, p = 0.009) significantly lower the odds. Variables that significantly increase the odds of body mass index (BMI) in the overweight range were age (OR=1.02, p = 0.00), being foreign-born outside of the United States or the Dominican Republic (OR=1.76, p = 0.006), self-reported diabetes (OR=1.37, p = 0.026), and perceived weight as overweight (OR=4.46, p = 0.00) whereas being female (OR=0.67, p = 0.00) significantly lowers the odds. Variables that significantly increase the odds of BMI in the obese range were age (OR=1.02, p = 0.00), self-reported diabetes (OR=1.78, p = 0.00), and perceived weight as overweight (OR=19.39, p = 0.00) whereas having more than a high school education (OR=0.72, p = 0.021) significantly lowers the odds. Variables that significantly increase the odds of hypertension were age (OR = 1.04, p = 0.00) and self-reported diabetes (OR = 1.57, p = 0.00) whereas being female (OR = 0.72, p = 0.00) significantly lowers the odds. Education (>High School) significantly increases the odds (OR=1.43, p = 0.00) of self-report of good health. In contrast, variables that significantly lower the odds were age (OR=0.98, p = 0.00), being female (OR=0.60, p = 0.00), higher fruit and vegetable consumption (OR=0.66, p = 0.007), self-reported diabetes (OR=0.51, p = 0.00), and obesity (OR=0.64, p = 0.00). Variables that significantly increase the odds of self-report of good health include having more than a high school education (OR = 1.43, p = 0.00) whereas age (OR = 0.98, p = 0.00), female gender (OR = 0.60, p = 0.00), higher fruit and vegetable consumption (OR = 0.66, p = 0.007), self-reported diabetes (OR = 0.51, p = 0.00), and obesity (OR = 0.64, p = 0.00) significantly lower the odds. Conclusion: This study contributed to our understanding of the relationships among neighborhood food environment, health behaviors, and health outcomes in a predominantly Hispanic underserved urban community in New York City. While most findings were similar to those reported in the literature, our findings related to the relationship between participants’ perceived neighborhood food environment and actual healthy food access and fruit and vegetable consumption were in contrast to other studies in that increased perceived availability and actual availability lowered the odds of consuming five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. This surprising finding merits additional qualitative and quantitative research to examine the complex relationships among perceived access, availability, and consumption of healthy foods as well as improved measures of fruit and vegetable consumption.

Latinos are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. and are expected to be 25% of the population by the year 2050. Latinos also are more vulnerable and at higher risk for poor health outcomes including diabetes and other chronic health ailments than Anglos. Many of the serious effects of these diseases can be ameliorated with changes in diet and life style. These changes are difficult for ethnic minority populations who lack access to culturally sensitive health and nutrition education. Several innovative and culturally competent programs have been initiated to provide preventative health education to high risk Latinos. Las Comidas Latinas (The Spanish Meals) was developed to teach health and food safety to Latino families as part of a federally funded education program for low income, Food Stamp eligible families. The ecological model was utilized to examine the microsystem, mesosystems, exosystem, and macrosystem processes and changes that underlie the development and implementation of a culturally competent program. What characterized the relationships between and among program staff, other agency partners, and participants? And what organizational processes contributed to the development and success of this culturally competent program? Interviews with participants, staff members at the state, county, supervisory and direct service levels and partner agencies indicated that participants in Las Comidas Latinas reported warm and caring relationships that contributed to positive health and social gains for themselves and their children. Organizational factors at the macro, intermediate, and individual levels such as a positive view of diversity, environmental and political factors, policy changes, and involvement of Latino community leaders contributed to successful program development and implementation. Two major categories of recommendations have emerged for the field and other service programs: attending to cultural norms and enacting flexible organizational policies. Key findings in cultural relevance include: create a bilingual and bicultural workforce, promote a safe and welcoming environment, hire program paraprofessionals for their cultural knowledge, and seek information about the community to be served. Organizational recommendations are to persist in approaching the target community to be served, provide "space" for innovation, and recognize and value unexpected social benefits. Future research suggestions are included. / Graduation date: 2005

Thesis (D. Ed. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-118).

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 47-06, page: 3544. Advisers: Maria E. Fernandez; Belinda M. Reininger. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Covenant Theological Seminary, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-95).

Since the mid-1990s, Central Mississippi has become home to a new population of migrants from across Latin America. Recruited by the chicken processing industry, these newcomers work alongside a longstanding and disenfranchised Black workforce in the country’s lowest paid and most dangerous jobs. This study addresses the globalization of rural Mississippi, its relationship to capital and labor, and its human implications for established Southern communities as well as new immigrant groups. It explores the ways in which people of different backgrounds understand and experience migration, shaped to a large degree by the historical and contemporary political economies of race and white privilege in this region. It examines the changes in the poultry industry over time that led to its recent recruitment of foreign-born laborers, and it illustrates the ways in which difference is constructed and maintained among people of diverse backgrounds in both communities and workplaces in the area. Through ethnography of discourses and interactions across lines of difference--both inside the plants, where identity categories are exploited for labor control and profit, and outside, as workers go about their everyday segregated lives--the dissertation argues that transnational migration is both transforming and consolidating social hierarchies in the region. Migrants are not entering society at the bottom, but rather are inserted into a precarious space between white and Black, and their positioning in society is often shifting and situational. This conclusion holds vital implications for workers’ prospects for political mobilization. It suggests that in the globalized present, organizers of lowwage workers must understand class as but one of a number of cross cutting axes of identity formation, and that class struggle alone will not bring about social change in a newly multicultural workforce. In a world increasingly driven by neoliberalism and divided by racial and ethnic conflict, the research creates a deeper awareness of the relationships between industrial restructuring, transnational migration, and political economies of race, revealing both challenges and possibilities for newly multicultural communities seeking social, economic, and workplace justice. / text

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Thesis (D. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 140-149).