The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new report on Hispanic health, which highlighted important facts about Hispanics, including news that Hispanics have better health outcomes than whites for most analyzed health factors, despite socioeconomic barriers. However, Latinos aren't totally out of the dark.

The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, titled "Vital Signs: Leading Causes of Death, Prevalence of Diseases and Risk Factors, and Use of Health Services Among Hispanics in the United States," showed insights into Latino health, beginning with the detail, Hispanics, on average, are nearly 15 years younger than whites, and they're more likely to live below the poverty line. Also mentioned, the all-cause death rate is 24 percent lower among Hispanics, and the Hispanics experience lower death rates for nine of the 15 leading causes of death.

However, Hispanics showed higher death rates from diabetes (51 percent higher), chronic liver disease and cirrhosis (48 percent), essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease (8 percent), homicide (96 percent), and higher prevalence of diabetes (133 percent) and obesity (23 percent), compared with non-Hispanic whites. Hispanic death rates for diabetes and chronic liver disease including cirrhosis are higher by about 50 percent. Additionally, 41.5 percent of Hispanics lack health insurance, compared to 15.1 percent of whites, and 15.5 percent of Hispanic indicated they delay or won't receive medical care because of cost concerns, compared to 13.6 percent of whites. However, like non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics most frequently die from cancer or heart disease.

The "Hispanic paradox" is described in the report, identifying Hispanics' projected longer life expectancy and lower mortality rate, despite documented barriers to health, including an elevated uninsured rate. There are lower smoking rates among immigrants, an influx of healthy immigrants to the U.S., an outflow of ill or elderly immigrants and superior levels of family support may explain the improved mortality rate for Hispanic origin groups.

However, Hispanics are not all alike. National origin and cultural heritage can influence health behaviors and outcomes. U.S.-born Hispanics don't fare as well as foreign-born Hispanics; evident by the fact they have higher prevalence of obesity (30 percent higher), hypertension (40 percent), smoking (72 percent), heart disease (89 percent) and cancer (93 percent). Differences don't only exist between U.S.-born Hispanics and foreign-born Hispanics. There were substantial differences identified among Hispanics by origin, nativity and sex. For instance, 66 percent more Puerto Ricans smoke than Mexicans.

According to the report, there are ways to improve the health outcomes of Hispanics, which includes community health workers to encourage residents to pursued care provided by nurses and doctors. Also, offering Latinos "patient-centered, team-based, comprehensive, coordinated health care with enhanced access" is crucial. Access to Spanish and English-language education material that is culturally appropriate language is important and existing programs must be leveraged to improve community health services and access to preventative care.

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