Julio Morales describes the Puerto Rican nation as being comprised of those individuals who identify themselves as Puerto Ricans. This includes almost 6. 2 million people who live primarily, but not exclu sively, on the island of Puerto Rico, and in the northeastern United States. One gets to be a Puerto Rican by various means. You are Puerto Rican if you are born in Puerto Rico, although at the same time you are an American because you were born there. You are Puerto Rican if your parents are Puerto Rican, even if you have never visited the island, have never eaten arroz y habichuelas, and have never spoken a word in Spanish. You can be a second and third generation Puerto Rican of mixed marriage, be highly acculturated to American culture, but when asked, you say proudly, "I am a Puerto Rican. " You can meet some of us whose world is bicultural, a world where English and Spanish are easily interchanged, where traditional Thanksgiving turkey is followed by lechon asado at Christmas as the main treat, where salsa or bolero are enjoyed with the same passion as rock'n roll or the big band sound. It is a world where various cultures have merged and the historical forces of slavery and Spanish and American colonialism have left their indelible marks on the psyche.

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This is the first monograph to focus on this overlooked segment of the U.S. population-it presents data on the reproductive health of Puerto Rican women living on the mainland, and the health and development of their children; assesses their experience relative to other Hispanic subgroups and the US as a whole; identifies the causes and effects of some problems; and recommends directions for future services, research, and policy.

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Overview.- 1. A Summary of Puerto Rican Migration to the United States.- 2. Entremundos: The Psychological Dialectics of Puerto Rican Migration and Its Implications for Health.- 3. Maternal and Child Health and Health Care in Puerto Rico.- 4. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Women and Children in Puerto Rico.- 5. Demographic and Health Characteristics of Puerto Rican Mothers and Their Babies.- 6. Characteristics of Childbearing Hispanic Women in New York City.- 7. HIV Infection and AIDS among Women: Impact on Hispanic Women and Children Residing in the United States.- 8. Physical Growth, Sexual Maturation, and Obesity in Puerto Rican Children.- 9. The Cultural Context of Adolescent Childrearing in Three Groups of Urban Minority Mothers.- 10. The Cognitive, Behavioral, and Health Status of Mainland Puerto Rican Children in the Infant Health and Development Program.- 11. Distinguishing among Proficiency, Choice, and Attitudes in Questions about Language for Bilinguals.- 12. Health Status and Health Care Access for Mainland Puerto Rican Children: Results from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.- 13. Effect of Comprehensive Pediatric Care on the Health of Poor High-Risk Puerto Rican and American Black Children in New York City.- Conclusion: Expanding on What Is Known about the Health and Development of Puerto Rican Mothers and Children.