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. 2018 Sep 25;15(10):2108.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph15102108.

The Health Literacy of U.S. Immigrant Adolescents: A Neglected Research Priority in a Changing World

Maricel G Santos  1 , Anu L Gorukanti  2 , Lina M Jurkunas  3 , Margaret A Handley  4   5
Affiliations

The Health Literacy of U.S. Immigrant Adolescents: A Neglected Research Priority in a Changing World

Maricel G Santos et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Immigrant adolescents are the fastest-growing sector among U.S. youth, but they receive little attention in health literacy research. Immigrant adolescents are a diverse population tasked with mastering new literacies while also navigating new social systems. Many immigrant adolescents serve as important linguistic and cultural resources in their families and local communities, and yet their contributions (and struggles) as new navigators of our health care system remain invisible. In this commentary article, we argue that health literacy researchers need to devote more attention to immigrant adolescents and the pathways by which they learn new language and literacy skills while also developing their own health habits and behaviors. We contend that the study of immigrant adolescents provides a critical window into health literacy as a socially and historically situated practice, specifically how immigrant adolescents' transnational experiences shape their learning of new health literacy practices. With a coordinated interdisciplinary research agenda on immigrant adolescents, the health literacy field will expand its empirical base for what becoming "health literate" looks like in today's globalizing world.

Keywords: adaptation; health literacy; immigrant adolescents; immigrant identity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Understanding immigrant adolescent health literacy as socially situated practice: A bike-riding metaphor.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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