Migration is a naturally occurring, global phenomenon. Animals migrate on land, in the air, and through rivers, lakes, and oceans. In the process, they transport other life forms, from microbes to plants. Moreover, migration is a multifaceted human phenomenon, characterized by both causes and consequences in the social, cultural, economic, political, and health arenas. Because of the diversity of human migration experiences and contexts, there are a number of potential factors that may influence the relationships between migration and health.1 Among these, immigrants often face significant language, communication, and cultural barriers to healthcare access.

This issue of Family and Community Health discusses the complexity and diversity of human migration and the implications for the health of families and communities. Migration is a phenomenon that crosses class, race/ethnicity, gender, geographical location, and health/illness status, evidenced by the diverse migrant populations represented: middle class South African migrant families, diabetic Mexican American women in Arizona, older Russian immigrants in Boston, Hispanic women in the Midwest and Texas, Oaxacan women in Southern Mexico and the United States, elderly South Asian men in Canada, and first generation Mexican Americans in North Carolina. The researchers use a wide range of methodological designs and approaches and address migration from various perspectives and frameworks, including family, community, social networks, transitions, stress and coping, family resilience, and cultural norms. For example, Bathum and Baumann examine the ongoing dynamics of community connections that is part of the immigration experience. McEwen and colleagues focus on a specific health/illness transition (ie, diabetes) within the fluid context of the immigration transition of Mexican women living along the Arizona border.

Immigration is a hot political issue in the United States and in other regions of the globe-with proposals for immigration "reform" and "control" and debates about ethnic identity, language acquisition, and acculturation raging in the popular press and in legislative and policy-making forums. The paradoxes of international political economic policies and their reflections in the hopes and suffering of women on both sides of the border are highlighted in the research findings and critique presented by McGuire and Martin.

Language access is an essential component of healthcare access for many immigrants. As a result, availability and quality of interpreter services is a concern for healthcare providers and institutions. In her examination of current models of medical interpretation, Dysart-Gale challenges us to examine the implications for practitioners' ability to provide culturally sensitive healthcare. The research conducted by Seth and colleagues on infant feeding behaviors among Spanish- and English-speaking mothers in Texas contributes to the growing body of literature on the effects of language ability and cultural norms on health behaviors and attitudes.

Moving beyond the identification of barriers and problems, several authors present clear suggestions for the development of community-based, participatory health-promotion interventions and health services for immigrants. The findings reported by Oliffe and colleagues and Greeff and Holtzkamp challenge practitioners to examine the intersections of gender, class, and culture on migration, within countries as well as transnationally. Aroian and Vander Wall also effectively argue that healthcare providers need to continually reexamine their own cultural frameworks, attitudes, and biases when interpreting the health-seeking behaviors of immigrants. Collectively, these authors note the need for critical examination of the potential cultural biases embedded within existing healthcare systems and the models and practices in place for providing language access to limited-English-proficient immigrants. The insights into the lives and health experiences of migrants presented in this issue leave us with a renewed sense of the urgency for new initiatives and innovative services that meet the health needs of individuals and families as they move and settle, temporarily or permanently, in communities around the globe!!

DeAnne K. Hilfinger Messias, PhD, RN

Issue Editor, Associate Professor, College of Nursing and Women's Studies Program, University of South Carolina

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