Hispanic Health

¡A la Buena Salud! – To Good Health!

May 2015

1 in 6

About 1 in 6 people living in the US are Hispanic (almost 57 million). By 2035, this could be nearly 1 in 4.

24%

Hispanic death rate is 24% lower than whites ("non-Hispanic whites").

50%

Hispanics are about 50% more likely to die from diabetes or liver disease than whites.

Hispanics or Latinos are the largest racial/ethnic minority population in the US. Heart disease and cancer in Hispanics are the two leading causes of death, accounting for about 2 of 5 deaths, which is about the same for whites. Hispanics have lower deaths than whites from most of the 10 leading causes of death with three exceptions—more deaths from diabetes and chronic liver disease, and similar numbers of deaths from kidney diseases. Health risk can vary by Hispanic subgroup—for example, 66% more Puerto Ricans smoke than Mexicans. Health risk also depends partly on whether you were born in the US or another country. Hispanics are almost 3 times as likely to be uninsured as whites. Hispanics in the US are on average nearly 15 years younger than whites, so steps Hispanics take now to prevent disease can go a long way.

Doctors and other healthcare professionals can:

Work with interpreters to eliminate language barriers, when patient prefers to speak Spanish.
Counsel patients on weight control and diet if they have or are at high risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, or cancer.
Ask patients if they smoke and if they do, help them quit.
Engage community health workers (promotores de salud) to educate and link people to free or low-cost services.