Journal Article

The Health of the Hispanic/Latino Population in the United States

Borrell, Luisa N., Lebron, Cynthia N.

2024

Overview

Hispanics or Latinos belong to the largest minoritized racial and ethnic group in the United States and represent a diverse group of people originating from at least 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Hereafter, Latino and Hispanic will be used interchangeably. Although their health status has been seen through the lens of the Hispanic paradox, or the idea of having similar or better health outcomes than the White majority despite their low socioeconomic indicators and access to care, there is still much to learn about the Hispanic population. Since the \"Hispanic paradox\" was coined in 1986, the Hispanic/Latino population has grown by 77%, from 14.5 to 63.7 million, coinciding with an increase in diversity, not only in sociodemographic characteristics but also in health status. The latter requires an increase in the number of health care and public health professionals to represent and understand the needs of this population.Latino scientists and activists formed the Chicano-Latino Caucus during the 1973 Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA) in San Francisco, California. The Latino Caucus, as it is known today, had such an immediate influence on the Association that the 1974 meeting theme was declared \"The Health of the non-White and Poor Americans.\" Fifty years later, the Latino Caucus remains a pillar of public health and policy advocacy for Hispanic people. However, the same struggle from 1974 persists today: health inequities among the non-White minoritized population in America, and thus, the need to understand the health status of the Latino population, the largest US minoritized group.In this issue, we compiled a collection of empirical papers (n 5 4), analytical essays (n 5 4), notes from the field (n 5 3), and opinion editorials (n 5 8) discussing issues related to the health and well-being of the Hispanic population. These articles could be aggregated around issues of history and equity, determinants of health and disease prevention, immigration, discrimination, and the workforce, as well as diversity, identities, and data inequities.

• Publisher: American Public Health Association
• Subject: Activism / Advocacy / Clinical outcomes / Colorectal cancer / Community / COVID-19 vaccines / Discrimination / Disease prevention / Drug overdose / Ethnic groups / Ethnic identity / Exercise / Health care access / Health disparities / Health services / Health status / Health Status Disparities / Hispanic Americans / Hispanic or Latino - statistics & numerical data / Hispanics/Latino / Humans / Immigration / Immigration policy / Inequality / Latin American cultural groups / Life expectancy / Medical personnel / Medical screening / Mexican Americans / Minority & ethnic groups / Minority groups / Mortality / Multiculturalism & pluralism / Opinions, Ideas, & Practice / Paradoxes / Population / Public health / Race/Ethnicity / Sociodemographics / Socioeconomic Factors / Socioeconomic indicators / United States / Well being / Women / Workforce / Xenophobia