This comprehensive report on Hispanic Health was drawn from earlier research by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it also offered new details on differences among Hispanic populations in the U.S. About 1 in 6 Americans is Hispanic.
Some of the findings were:
- Puerto Ricans have higher rates of cancer and heart disease than Mexican-Americans, Cuban-Americans, or those with roots in Central or South America.
- When compared to Mexican-Americans and Cuban-Americans, Puerto Ricans have the highest cancer mortality rates, heart disease, homicide and five other leading causes.
- Hispanics, as a whole, have a substantially lower cigarette smoking rate than whites. But they are the highest among Hispanics, and as high as the national average.
The CDC’s Dr. Ken Dominguez, lead author of the report said “We think smoking is the biggest reason why Puerto Ricans look so unhealthy compared to other Hispanics”
The analysis was specific to Hispanics living in the 50 states and did not include residents of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. The data for this report came from health surveys and death certificates and covered the years 2009 through 2013.
Puerto Ricans represent about 10 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population. Mexican-Americans account for 64 percent, Cuban-Americans are 4 percent, Dominicans, 3 percent.
In the U.S., Hispanics overall live longer than whites or blacks. Researchers call that the “Hispanic paradox,” in which a population with a larger share of poor and uneducated people manages to surpass the life expectancy of other groups. One leading theory is that Hispanics who immigrate to the U.S. are among the healthiest from their countries. The paradox also may be at least partly due to lower smoking rates in immigrant Hispanics, CDC officials said. (AP)
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