HISPANIC HEALTH: Spanish-Language Magazine Targets Southland Readers

      The first free Spanish-language parenting magazine, Su Familia, or Your Family, begins publishing this month in Orange County, and will be distributed in schools and doctors' offices throughout Los Angeles, San Diego counties and the Inland Empire. Su Familia is the sister publication of the three-year-old Su Bebe, or Your Baby, which is "aimed at pregnant women and mothers in the first year of their child's life," but the new magazine will take "on broader topics" such as "affordable health insurance." Publisher Laura Lentz said, "When I was deciding to do this project, I would go to the clinics in the heart of East L.A. or sit in the Glendale Memorial Hospital and all the moms would be looking through the English magazines and really trying to read them." Of Hispanic families, she said, "They are very much like the Anglo family of the 1950s, and when I decided to do this project I did lots of research into how we would have to appeal to that population." The Los Angeles Times reports that together, the two publications will "help parents navigate the bureaucracy of hospitals and health care." The upcoming issue, schedule to debut Jan. 27, will feature an article on caring for aging parents and list community services that assist families with elderly care. It will also include information on teen pregnancy and the state's Healthy Families program. Martha Jiminez, executive director of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, said, "We think (Su Familia) is absolutely vital. There's clearly a market for it. ... It's very critical that we focus on what people can do to better their health and how to ensure they live healthy lives." While the Times notes that many Spanish-language publications have "cropped up over the past decade," Lentz said her magazine is unique because it strictly targets the Southland readers, "offering local information and issues directly relevant to their communities." She said, "I really believe you have to reach the Hispanic community in a local way" (Richardson/Nguyen, 1/5).