May 5,2015
Hispanics mortality rate is 25 percent lower than whites says the CDC. That‘s true even though Hispanics are three times less likely to have health insurance and twice as likely to be in poverty
The latest CDC Vital Signs is CDC’s first national study on Hispanics’ leading causes of death, disease prevalence, risk factors, and access to health services in the United States. Hispanics are the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the U.S. Currently, nearly one in six people living in the U.S. is Hispanic (almost 57 million) and this is projected to increase to nearly one in four (more than 85 million) by 2035. The report used recent national census and health surveillance and mortality data to determine differences among whites, Hispanics, and Hispanic subgroups.
As with non-Hispanic whites, the two leading causes of death for Hispanics are heart disease and cancer, accounting for two out of five deaths. Compared with whites, Hispanics have lower death rates for most leading causes of death, but are about 50% more likely to die from diabetes or liver disease and cirrhosis.
Despite lower overall death rates, the study found that some Hispanics may face challenges in getting the care needed to protect their health. Some important social factors include educational level, living below the poverty line, not speaking English very well, and being uninsured.
The report emphasizes that Hispanics are not all alike: health behaviors (such as smoking cigarettes) and health outcomes differ by country of birth and self-declared cultural heritage. U.S.-born Hispanics had higher prevalences of obesity, smoking, heart disease, and cancer than foreign-born Hispanics.
Ways to improve the health of Hispanics include:
Medical home—a doctor they can reliably go to for help;
Lay community health workers (promotores de salud) to guide Hispanics to needed care by doctors and nurses;
Communication in Spanish, including health education materials and, for patients who need them, interpreting services.
To learn more, visit www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns