Hispanic American Health
Hispanics or Latinos are persons of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central-American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The federal government considers race and Hispanic origin to be two separate and distinct concepts; Hispanic Americans may be any race. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Hispanics of all races represent 13.3 percent of the U.S. population, about 37.4 million individuals. The Census Bureau projects that by the year 2040 there will be 87.5 million Hispanic individuals, comprising 22.3 percent of the population. Though Hispanic communities can be found throughout Florida, the Northeast, and other parts of the country, the greatest concentrations of Hispanics are in the southwestern states from Texas to California. The states with the greatest concentration of Hispanics are New Mexico, California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and Florida
Though they share many aspects of a common heritage such as language and emphasis on extended family, Hispanic cultures vary significantly by country of origin. Hispanics tend to be younger than the white non-Hispanic population (except for Cubans, who have a higher proportion of elderly than other Hispanic groups). Their health profiles are also unique: Puerto Ricans suffer disproportionately from asthma, HIV/AIDS, and infant mortality, while Mexican Americans suffer disproportionately from diabetes. Factors that contribute to poor health outcomes among Hispanics include language and cultural barriers, lack of access to preventive care, and lack of health insurance.
Leading Causes of death in the U.S. in 2002 for Hispanics or Latinos:
- Heart disease
- Cancer
What is the Burden of Cardiovascular Disease in the United States? Cardiovascular disease (CVD), primarily heart disease and stroke, causes more deaths in Americans of both genders and all racial and ethnic groups than any other disease. It is also one of the leading causes of disability in the United States. CVD costs an estimated $300 billion annually as measured in health care expenditures, medications, and lost productivity due to disability and death
Examples of Important Disparities Overall, minority and low-income populations have a disproportionate burden of death and disability from CVD. African Americans have the highest rate of high blood pressure of all groups and tend to develop it younger than others. Studies have shown that socioeconomic status, reflected in income and education, underlie a substantial portion, but not all, of the higher rate of heart disease in minority populations.
What is the Goal? The target date for eliminating disparities is 2010. CDC and other public health agencies will continue efforts to reduce the overall death rates from heart disease and stroke and disparities among all racial and ethnic groups. Two goals have been set:
- reduce deaths from heart disease among African Americans by 30 percent
- reduce deaths from strokes among African Americans by 47 percent
Promising Strategies Modifying risk factors offers the greatest potential for reducing CVD morbidity, disability, and mortality: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking tobacco, excessive body weight, and physical inactivity. Prevention programs have been set up in states with high rates of CVD to implement policy and environmental strategies to increase levels of physical activity, availability of heart-healthy foods, and to decrease rates of smoking among minority populations. Changes have been advocated in schools, worksites, and other community-based organizations, and have been publicized by government and the media.
What can Healthcare Providers do to Help Reduce the Burden of CVD? Healthcare providers should act as their patients' primary information source and view each patient’s routine office visits as an opportunity to screen for risk factors associated with CVD. Patients who smoke, are excessively overweight, are physically inactive, have high blood pressure, or have a high cholesterol level should be advised at each visit that they are at risk for heart disease, disability, or death and offered the following preventative and clinical services:
- smoking cessation classes
- medications
- nutrition classes and diets
- exercise programs
- Stop smoking
- Eat a healthy diet, including five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day
- Exercise regularly, such as brisk walking at least 30 minutes on five or more days of the week
- Reduce stress
- Control high blood pressure
- Control cholesterol
- Control your weight
What is the Burden of Cancer in the United States? Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, causing more than 500,000 deaths each year. The chances of having cancer in a lifetime are 45 percent for men and 41 percent for women. Almost half of all people who get cancer will die
Examples of Important Disparities Although deaths caused by breast cancer have decreased among white women, African-American women continue to have higher rates of mortality from breast and cervical cancer The disproportionate burden may be because many African-American women have not received regular mammograms or Papanicolaou (Pap) tests or follow-up treatment. Vietnamese women have an incidence rate of cervical cancer five times higher than white women. Limited access to health care services and language and cultural barriers are primary reasons for the low rates of screening and treatment for other minority groups, such as Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Natives, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander women. Men in African-American populations also have more cancers of the lung, prostate, colon, and rectum than do white men. Overall, African Americans have more malignant tumors and are less likely to survive cancer than the general population.
Promising Strategies Modify lifestyles to reduce individual risk for cancer -- tobacco use, diet and nutrition -- and improve early detection. CDC and other public health agencies, health care providers, and communities of all racial and ethnic groups must become partners in a national effort to:
- Improve early cancer detection through routine mammography, Pap tests and colorectal cancer screening;
- Create additional public education campaigns; and
- Develop research projects that will encourage minority groups to participate in clinical trials for cancer prevention to ensure that significant differences between minority and ethnic groups are identified.
What is the Health Care Provider’s Role to Help Reduce the Cancer Burden? Because fear, cost, and lack of physician referral are three common barriers to cancer screening for women, health care providers play a critical role in increasing cancer screening. Physicians must address their patients’ fears by describing how screening saves lives. Health care providers must communicate with their patients about low-cost or free cancer screening services like the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. Because many women in minority populations have limited means or do not know how to access cancer treatment specialists, physicians must act as trusted referral sources.
What can Individuals do to Decrease Their Risk of Getting Cancer? Although tobacco use is responsible for at least one-third of all cancer deaths, smoking cessation is only one way a person can choose to reduce the personal burden of cancer. Diet, weight control, and physical activity can in time reduce cancer incidence by 30-40%. Early detection is the best opportunity to reduce deaths; therefore, women at risk must make every effort to receive mammograms and Pap smears on a regular basis so breast and cervical cancer can be detected and treated. And persons at high risk for colorectal cancer should follow guidelines on periodic health evaluations
| Women | Men |
|---|---|
| Breast self exam | Colonoscopy |
| Colonoscopy | Digital rectal exam (DRE) |
| Mammogram | Prostate specific antigen (PSA) test |
| Pap test | Testicular self exam |
| Pelvic exam |