Latinos & Health

CDC Report: Latinos living longer than blacks, whites (November 2010)
“Latinos in the United States live on average 80.6 years, compared with 78.1 years for non-Hispanic whites and 72.9 for non-Hispanic blacks. Latinos are on average poorer, less educated and less likely to visit doctors than most Americans — yet they still enjoy longer lives.” View an article and access links to the report at http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_latinohealth22.43c04bd.html

Despite health risks, U.S. Hispanics outlive rest of population (October 2010)
Hispanic people in the United States live nearly three years longer than the population overall, says the first government study to confirm extended life expectancy in the nation’s largest minority group. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39641507/from/toolbar

Black and Hispanic Infants Much More Likely to Have HIV (February 2010)
Rates of HIV infection in infants are significantly higher among blacks and Hispanics than whites, and preventive measures are needed to reduce the disparity. Although the number of HIV-infected infants has declined overall, among black babies, the rate of perinatal HIV infection — meaning transmission at the time of birth — is 23 times higher than for whites, and among Hispanics, the rate is four times higher, according to findings from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, while black and Hispanic children under age 1 account for only 37 percent of the population, they represent 85 percent of all perinatal HIV diagnoses.
Read more at http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/635713.html

Latino Child Health Fact Sheet (October 2009)
http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/latino-child-health-factsheet.pdf

Hispanic women at higher risk for heart disease, study says (March 2, 2007)
Hispanic women’s heart disease risk is comparable to the risk level of Caucasian women who are about a decade older. This contradicts a long-held belief that Hispanic women have less heart disease than Caucasian women, researchers reported at the AHA’s 47th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. Read more at: http://www.newsroom.heart.org/index.php?s=43&item=301

One in 5 Hispanics Regularly Goes Hungry, Study Says: “Sin Provecho: Latinos and Food Insecurity” (December 2006)
Nearly one in five Hispanics lacks sufficient access to nutritious food and one in 20 regularly goes hungry, according to a new study by the National Council of La Raza. Poverty is the main factor that contributes to the problem. About 22 percent of Latinos are poor, compared to 25 percent of non-Hispanic blacks and 8 percent of non-Hispanic whites. Many Latinos, 40 percent of whom are foreign-born, face linguistic, cultural and legal barriers to enrolling in food assistance programs. Slightly more than half of eligible Latinos participate in the Food Stamp Program. The program’s complex requirements and paperwork are daunting to many immigrant Latinos. In comparison, the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children has a simpler enrollment process and a high rate of Latino participation. Study co-author Jennifer Ng’andu said government food programs need to undertake an aggressive outreach in the Latino community and train their staff to better understand the eligibility rules affecting immigrants. The report assesses the root causes of food insecurity among Latinos, including economic and geographic barriers and legal immigrant restrictions, which prevent access to affordable, nutritious foods and assistance. Read the report at: http://www.nclr.org/index.php/publications/sin_provecho_latinos_and_food_insecurity/

Redefining HIV/AIDS for Latinos: A Promising New Paradigm for Addressing HIV/AIDS in the Hispanic Community (October 19, 2006)
The National Council of La Raza-California State University, Long Beach Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation, and Leadership Training (NCLR-CSULB Center for Latino Health) released this report which discusses the growing HIV/AIDS crisis in the Latino community and outlines a new paradigm for addressing HIV/AIDS. Hispanics make up 14% of the U.S. population but account for one of every five people currently living with HIV/AIDS in the country, including a disproportionate number of women and youth. While much has been done to make this chronic disease more manageable for other communities, Hispanics – in particular Latinas in monogamous relationships – are more likely to die from the disease and less likely to receive quality medical care. The report combines the Center’s own extensive research and a review of the existing academic literature on the issue.
http://www.nclr.org/index.php/publications/redefining_hivaids_for_latinos_a_promising_new_paradigm_for_addressing_hivaids_in_the_hispanic_community/

Study Finds Uninsured, Immigrants Don’t Overburden ERs (July 2006)
Contrary to popularly held ideas, a new survey of 60 communities shows that the uninsured, Hispanics and immigrants in general do not overburden hospital emergency rooms. Noncitizens had 17 fewer visits per 100 than citizens. Blacks were more likely than Hispanics to use ERs, perhaps because they are more likely to have some form of insurance, either private or public. One reason for lower ER usage by immigrants could be that those without documentation might be afraid to go to a hospital, Cunningham said. Another possible reason for varying ER rates could be that in some places, patients have a hard time getting an appointment with a doctor or a clinic and find it easier to walk into an ER, even though treatment there can be much more expensive. Read the report – What Accounts For Differences In The Use Of Hospital Emergency Departments Across U.S. Communities? – published by the journal Health Affairs, at: http://www.healthaffairs.org/RWJ/Cunningham_718.pdf

Immigrants’ Health Care Costs are Low: Use Half as Much Care as Non-Immigrant Americans (July 2005)
Immigrants in the U.S. receive surprisingly little health care – 55% less than native-born Americans -according to a Harvard/Columbia University study that appears in the current issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Immigrant children received particularly low levels of care, 74% less overall than other children. http://www.pnhp.org/news/2005/july/immigrants_health_c.php