Puerto Ricans' Health Fares Worse Than Other U.S. Hispanics
For
Immediate Release: February 25, 2000
Contact: NCHS/CDC Public
Affairs (301) 458-4800
E-mail: nchsquery@cdc.gov
Health Outcomes Among Hispanic
Subgroups: Data from the National Health Interview Survey, 1992-95. Advance Data No.
310. 15. pp. (PHS) 2000-1250. View/download PDF 207 KB
Puerto Rican persons in the mainland
U.S. fare significantly worse than other U.S. Hispanics on a number of health indicators,
according to a new report from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.
The report, "Health Outcomes Among
Hispanic Subgroups: Data from the National Health Interview Survey, 1992-95" looks at
data from the National Health Interview Survey collected from 1992 through 1995 and
focuses primarily on four groups: Mexican Americans, who make up 63 percent of the U.S.
Hispanic population, Puerto Ricans, who make up 11 percent, Cuban Americans, who make up 4
percent, and "other Hispanic," who constitute 22 percent of the population. The
report found:
More than 1 in 5 Puerto Ricans reported an
activity limitation, compared with about 15 percent of the Cuban and Mexican population.
Eighteen percent of Puerto Rican individuals
reported being in fair or poor health, compared with 14 percent of Cubans and 12 percent
of "other Hispanic" groups.
A larger percent (83 percent) of Puerto Ricans
reported seeing a physician in the past year, compared with 69 percent of Mexican
Americans, 77 percent of "other Hispanic," and 78 percent of Cuban
Americans. Conversely, 7 percent of Mexican persons, 4 percent of Cubans, and 3
percent of Puerto Ricans reported not having seen a doctor in the past 5 years or more,
though it is not clear what role health insurance or access to health care played.
Puerto Rican persons reported more days spent in
bed because of illness (10.4) than Mexican persons (8.0) and "other Hispanic"
(7.2).
Cuban persons had fewer days lost from school or
work (3.4) than Mexican persons (5.7), Puerto Rican persons (6.0), and "other
Hispanic" (6.9).
Puerto Ricans had a higher percent of people
with at least one hospital stay.
Although there was little overall difference
between Hispanic subgroups regarding smoking status, more Puerto Rican women were current
smokers (21 percent) than Cuban and Mexican American women (12 percent) and "other
Hispanic" women (15 percent).
Cuban individuals reported a higher level of
knowledge about AIDS than other Hispanic groups; 14 percent of Mexican Americans had no
knowledge of AIDS at all, whereas almost half of Cubans reported at least some knowledge
of AIDS.
"Health Outcomes Among Hispanic
Subgroups: Data from the National Health Interview Survey, 1992-1995" can be
downloaded directly from the NCHS Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs.