Fact Sheet: Hispanic Health Disparities

Good 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:

1. Those under the age of 65 years with health insurance (66 percent Hispanics vs 87 percent non-Hispanic whites, in 2002)
2. Those with a regular source of ongoing health care (77 percent vs 90 percent, in 2002)
3. Children aged 19–35 months who are fully vaccinated (73 percent vs 78 percent in 2002), adults aged 65 and older administered influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in the preceding 12 months (49 percent vs 69 percent in 2002)

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:

• Stroke (18 percent higher)
• Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (62 percent higher)
• Diabetes (41 percent higher)
• HIV (168 percent higher)
• Homicide (128 percent higher)

Examples of Disparities Among Hispanic/Latino Americans

• HIV/AIDS
  In 1999 the death rate for HIV was 32.7 per 100,000 for Puerto Ricans living on the mainland of the United States, higher than any other racial or ethnic group, more than six times the national average (5.4 per 100,000) and more than 13 times the rate for non-Hispanic whites (2.4 per 100,000).
   
• Diabetes
  Among Hispanics/Latinos, the diabetes death rate in 2000 was highest among Puerto Ricans (172 per 100,000), followed by the rates for Mexican Americans (122 per 100,000), and Cuban Americans (47 per 100,000).
   
• Adult Immunization
  In 2002, influenza vaccination coverage among adults 65 years of age and older was 70.2 percent for whites and 46.7 percent for Hispanics/Latinos. The gap for pneumococcal vaccination coverage among older adults was even wider, with 60.6 percent for whites and 23.8 percent for Hispanics/Latinos.
   
• Asthma
  During 1993-1995 in the northeast U.S., Hispanics/Latinos had an asthma death rate of 34 per million, more than twice the rate for white Americans (15.1 per million).
   
• Work-Related Injuries
  Mexican foreign born workers accounted for more than two thirds (69 percent) of the 2,440 fatally injured, foreign born workers between 1995 and 2000. Lower percentages of fatally injured workers came from Cuba (146 or 6 percent), El Salvador (131 or 5 percent), Guatemala (90 or 4 percent), and Dominican Republic (87 or 4 percent).

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:

• • Leads policy initiatives
• • Coordinates agency action on minority health initiatives
• • Supports minority-serving institutions of higher learning
• • Establishes and enhances internal and external partnerships
• • Supports training opportunities for minority students
• • Undertakes studies of health issues affecting key populations
• • Advocates action on activities to eliminate health disparities

For more information, non media should call 1-800-311-3435, or try the links below:

Spotlight on Minority Health

HHS Office of Minority Health

National Immunization Program

National Center for Health Statistics

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This page last updated October 14, 2004
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