Health Risks and Disparities Experienced by Hispanic Youth
Health Disparities Experienced by Hispanic Children, Youth, and Adults

	ON THIS PAGE Health Disparities Experienced by Hispanic Children/Youth Health Disparities Experienced by Hispanic Adults References

Health Disparities Experienced by Hispanic Children/Youth

• In 2003-2004, 65% of Hispanic children and adolescents were reported by their parents to be in excellent or very good health compared with 90% of white children.¹
   

• In 2003-2004, teeth conditions for 21% of Hispanic children and adolescents were poor or fair compared with 11% of black and 6% of white children.¹
   

• Studies have found that Hispanic youth experience proportionately more anxiety-related behaviors, delinquency, and depression than do non-Hispanic white youth.^2-5
   

• In 2001-2002, 39.9% of Mexican-American males aged 2-19 years were obese or overweight compared to 28.4% of non-Hispanic white males. Among Mexican-American females aged 2-5 years, 31.8% were obese or overweight compared with 18.9% of non-Hispanic white females.⁶

Health Disparities Experienced by Hispanic Adults

• In 2005, after adjusting for population age differences, Mexican-Americans were 1.7 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites.⁷
   

• The 5-year survival rate for breast cancer is 85% for non-Hispanic white women, but only 76% for Hispanic women.⁸
   

• In 2004, Hispanics were about 3 times more likely to have chlamydia than non-Hispanic whites (436.1/100,000 vs. 143.6/100,000).⁹
   

• In 2005, the rate of HIV/AIDS cases among the Hispanic population was more than 3 times greater compared with non-Hispanic whites.¹⁰
   

• The 2006 National Health Interview Survey found that 26.3% of Hispanics lacked health insurance for more than a year, compared with 6.9% of non-Hispanic whites and 10.4% of non-Hispanic blacks.¹¹
   

• In 2001-2004, Mexican women aged 20-74 years were significantly more likely to be obese compared with non-Hispanic white women (40.3% vs. 30.5%).¹²
   

• In 2003, the age-adjusted incidence rate for cervical cancer in Hispanic women was 13.8 per 100,000 population compared with 6.3 for non-Hispanic white women.¹²

References

1. Flores G, Tomany-Korman SC. Racial and ethnic disparities in medical and dental health, access to care, and use of services in US children. Pediatrics. 2008;121(2):286-298.
    
2. Glover SH, Pumariega AJ, Holzer CE, Wise BK, Rodriquez M. Anxiety symptomatology in Mexican American adolescents. J of Child and Family Studies. 1999;(8):47-57.
    
3. Roberts RE, Chen Y. Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation among Mexican-origin and Anglo adolescents. J of Am Acd of Child and Adol Psychiatry. 1995;(34):81-90.
    
4. Roberts RE, Roberts C, Chen YR. Ethnocultural differences in prevalence of adolescent depression. Am J of Comm Psy. 1997; (25):95-110.
    
5. Vazsonyi AT, Flannery D. Early adolescent delinquent behaviors: Associations with family and school domains. J of Early Adol. 1997;(17):271-293.
    
6. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, McDowell MA, Tabak CJ, Flegal KM. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999-2004. JAMA. 2006;95(13):1549-1555.
    
7. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. National Diabetes Statistics fact sheet: general information and national estimates on diabetes in the United States, (2005). Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Health.
    
8. Abraido-Lanza A, Chao M, Gammon M. Breast and cervical cancer screening among Latinas and non-Latina Whites. Am J of Public Hth. 2004; 94(8):1393-1398.
    
9. CDC. Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2004. Atlanta: US Department of Health and Human Services, 2005. Available at www.cdc.gov/std/stats04/tables/table11b.htm. Accessed on March 3, 2008.
    
10. CDC. HIV/AIDS surveillance report, 2005. Vol. 17. US Department of Health and Human Services, 2006:1-54.
     
11. Cohen RA, Martinez ME. Health insurance coverage: Early release of estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, January – June 2006; Available at www.cdc.gov/nchs//data/nhis/earlyrelease/insur200612.pdf [pdf 329K]. Accessed on February 13, 2008.
     
12. CDC. Health, United States; 2006. National Center for Health Statistics. Available at www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus06.pdf#074 [pdf 7.73M]. Accessed on March 3, 2008.

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Page last reviewed: June 23, 2008
Page last modified: June 23, 2008
Content source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health

Division of Adolescent and School Health
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Department of Health and Human Services