Minority Health

Observances ~ September 15th - October 15th
Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month

In September 1968, Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week. The observance was expanded in 1988 to a month long celebration (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15). We celebrate the culture and traditions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean.¹

Sept. 15 was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.¹

Definition

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines Hispanic or Latino as “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.” In data collection and presentation, federal agencies are required to use a minimum of two ethnicities: “Hispanic or Latino” and "Not Hispanic or Latino".

Starting with Census 2000, the OMB requires federal agencies to use a minimum of five race categories:

White;
Black or African American;
Americans Indian or Alaska Native;
Asian; and
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.²

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Demographics

According to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates as of April 1, 2010, there are roughly 50.5 million Hispanics living in the United States, representing approximately 16.3% of the U.S. total population, making people of Hispanic origin the nation's largest ethnic or race minority.¹

The projected U.S. Hispanic population for July 1, 2050, is estimated to reach 132.8 million, constituting approximately 30% of the U.S. population by that date.¹

Among Hispanic subgroups, in 2010, Mexicans rank as the largest at 63%. Following Mexicans are Puerto Ricans (9.2%), Cubans (3.5%), Salvadorans (3.3%), Dominicans (2.8%), and the remaining 18.2% are people of Central and South America or other Hispanic or Latino origins.¹

In 2009, 20% of elementary and high school students were Hispanic, and 12% of college students were Hispanic.¹

The state with the largest Hispanic population is California (14 million). The state with the highest percentage of Hispanic population is New Mexico (46.3%), followed by California and Texas (38% each).¹

The percentage of Hispanics who lacked health insurance in 2009 was 32.4%, up from 30.7% in 2008.¹

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Examples of Important Health Disparities Experienced by Hispanics/Latinos

Private health insurance coverage among persons under age 65 was only 37.3% for Hispanics/Latinos in 2009, compared to 73.3% for non-Hispanic whites and 63.3% for the total population.
Among Hispanic/Latino subgroups, Mexicans were least likely to be insured (34.7%), while Cubans were most likely to be insured (54.3%).³

Adolescent pregnancy and birth rates for Hispanics are 3 times that of whites. Hispanic/Latina women were more than 2.3 times as likely to have late or no prenatal care (12.9%) than non-Hispanic white women (5.5%) in 2007.⁴

Hispanics/Latinos exceeded all other racial or ethnic groups with the largest percentage (29%) of total cases of Tuberculosis (TB) in the United States. The prevalence rate of Chlamydia among Hispanics/Latinos (473.2) was three times higher than that of whites (162.3) in 2007. ⁵

Hispanics/Latinos are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. The overall prevalence rate for Hispanics/Latinos (585 cases per 100,000 population) was nearly three times the rate for whites (224 cases per 100,000 population).⁵
- In 2007 the HIV/AIDS death rate was 4.1 per 100,000 for all Hispanics/Latinos, more than 2.75 times the rate for non-Hispanic whites (1.5 per 100,000).⁶
- In 2007, the HIV/AIDS death rate was more than 2.5 times higher for Hispanic/Latino males (6.3 per 100,000 population) than for non-Hispanic white males (2.5), and 3.6 times higher for Hispanic/Latina females (1.8) than for non-Hispanic white females (0.5).⁷

In 2009, influenza vaccination coverage among adults 18 years of age and older was 53.7% for non-Hispanic whites and 40.3% for Hispanics/Latinos.⁸ In 2009, the gap for pneumococcal vaccination coverage among adults was even wider, with 64.8% for non-Hispanic whites and only 40.1% for Hispanics/Latinos.⁹

In 2007, the diabetes death rate for Hispanics/Latinos (28.9 per 100,000 population) was almost 1.5 times higher than for non-Hispanic whites (19.8).⁶
- In 2009, among the Hispanic population, Puerto Rican males had the highest percentage of diagnosed diabetes (11.2%); Cuban females had the lowest (4.8%). From 1997 to 2009, the age–adjusted percentage of persons with diagnosed diabetes increased 16.7% among Puerto Rican males, 32.9% among Puerto Rican females, 54% among Mexican/Mexican American males, 41.5% among Mexican/Mexican American females, and 113.2% among Cuban males. ¹⁰

In 2005, Puerto Ricans (17.0) had a current asthma prevalence rate over 2.2 times higher than non-Hispanic white people (7.6) and over 1.8 times higher than non-Hispanic black people (9.4). Puerto Ricans also had the highest rate of lifetime asthma (22.0), while Mexicans had the lowest (7.3). Puerto Ricans were twice as likely to have ever been diagnosed with asthma than non-Hispanic white people (11.3).¹¹

In men ages 20-74 years, Mexican Americans had a higher prevalence of overweight (79.2%) from 2005-2008 than non-Hispanic white men (72.9% overweight); or non-Hispanic black men (71.8% overweight).¹²