Abstract
Eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health is a major goal of Healthy People 2010. Health care providers and institutions can address the specialized cultural expectations and needs of Hispanic Americans by assessing acculturation status of the population, an intervening variable in patient compliance, and health outcomes. This article reports on maternal acculturation status and the relationship to birth outcomes of 382 Hispanic pregnant women in the southwest United States. The majority of these women were Mexican-oriented and had healthy pregnancies and healthy birth outcomes. Findings support the hypothesis that traditional Mexican cultural practices serve protective functions for the childbearing woman.