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Fact Sheet: Hispanic Health DisparitiesGood health can be elusive for some residents of the United States and its territories. Access to health promotion and prevention programs and appropriate health care are often relative to race or ethnicity, gender, education, disability, geographic location, sexual orientation and/or economic status. For example, in 2001, approximately 35 percent of Hispanics/Latinos under age 65 lacked health care coverage, compared with about 12 percent of non-Hispanic whites and about 16 percent of the total population. This week's MMWR, focusing on health disparities experienced by Hispanics, is the second in a series of issues devoted to racial/ethnic health disparities in the United States. The reports in this issue describe Hispanic access to healthcare and preventive services, prevalence in diabetes among Hispanics, possible disproportionate perinatal exposure to HIV among Hispanics, and the effects of revised population counts on Hispanic teen birth rates. The issue also commemorates National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15–October 15, 2004), Border Binational Health Week (October 11–17) and Latino AIDS Awareness Day (October 15). Roughly 39 million people living in the United States and in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico identified themselves as being Hispanic (or Spanish or Latino) in the 2000 census. In the 50 states, Hispanics comprised 12.5 percent of the population. Despite progress, ethnic disparities persist among the 10 leading health indicators identified in the 2010 national health objectives. Based on the most recent data available, Hispanics or Hispanic subpopulations trailed non-Hispanic whites in various measures of the leading health indicators, including:
Hispanics bear a disproportionate burden of disease, injury, death, and disability when compared with non-Hispanic whites, the largest racial/ethnic population in the United States. Hispanics were leading non-Hispanic whites in measures of tobacco use. In 2000, Hispanics had higher incidence rates for cancers of the cervix (152 percent higher) and stomach (63 percent higher in males and 150 percent higher in females) Hispanics aged 20–74 years also reported higher rates of overweight (11 percent higher in males; 26 percent higher in females) and obesity (7 percent higher in males; 32 percent higher in females) than non-Hispanic whites. In 2001, Hispanics of all races experienced more years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 than non-Hispanic whites in five causes of death:
Examples of Disparities Among Hispanic/Latino Americans
Recent immigration also can increase risk for chronic disease and injury among certain populations. Although some immigrants are highly educated and have high incomes, others lack fluency in English and familiarity with the U.S. health-care system, and have different cultural attitudes about the use of traditional versus conventional medicine. Since 1985, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has coordinated initiatives to reduce or eliminate racial/ethnic health disparities, including the Hispanic Agenda for Action, Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, Hispanic Employment in the Federal Government, and Initiative to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health. On-going public awareness campaigns include Closing the Health Gap and Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day. Information about these initiatives is available at http://www.cdc.gov/omh/aboutus/executive.htm. What the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Minority Health Does:
For more information, non media should call 1-800-311-3435, or try the links below: National Center for Health Statistics
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