Various factors affect an individual’s health, and in some cases, they are beyond an individual’s control. Social and environmental determinants can explain why individuals from a particular group have common health patterns. Hispanics form the largest minority group in America with a population of over 57 million in 2016 (Pew Research Center, 2016). Common health problems in the Hispanic American community include heart disease, cancer, diabetes, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. Despite the many health conditions faced by the Hispanic community, the community has notable strengths and opportunities that can be utilized to manage the health problems. Lower mortality rates, community engagement and availability of health programs targeting the Hispanic communities are some of the key strengths that should be maximized.
According to the CDC report, the overall health for Hispanics is better than the overall health for non-Hispanic white peers despite the many socioeconomic burdens faced by the Hispanic community. The Hispanic community is burdened with higher poverty rates, language barriers and lack of health insurance. CDC report (2015) stated that the leading cause of death among Hispanics is cancer and heart diseases. Cancer and heart disease are also the leading causes of death among whites, but only in reverse order. According to the 2013 statistics, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Central Americans comprise about 82.4% of all Hispanics in the U.S. Mexicans comprised 64% of Hispanics (CDC, 2015). The overall Hispanic mortality rate was 24% lower than that for whites, and the overall death rates from different conditions were lower for the Hispanics in comparison to non-Hispanic whites. Nonetheless, the death rate for Hispanics was higher than that of whites for diabetes, chronic liver disease, homicide, and hypertensive renal disease. The death rates for diabetes was higher by 51%, while chronic liver disease by 48% and homicide by 96%. According to the CDC report (2015), despite the worst risk factors, Hispanics tend to live longer. The Hispanic epidemiologic data can be analyzed using a SWOT analysis:
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Strengths Overall lower death rates in most leading conditions. The Hispanics reported lower prevalence of cancer, heart diseases, and smoking rates. The death rate for Hispanics was 24% lower in comparison to non-Hispanic whites (Dominguez et al., 2015). According to CDC, Hispanics have a longer projected life expectancy described as “Hispanic paradox.” Hispanics have a projected longer life expectancy by approximately 2 years. The role of social determinants of health such as a robust community health plays a role. Hispanics are family and community oriented individuals, they spend a lot of time engaging with family and community. Family support is known to help in times of illness, and this might explain why Hispanics have a projected longer life expectancy. The Hispanics have the lowest smoking rates in the U.S. (CDC, 2015). Though the smoking rates are on the rise for Hispanics born in the U.S. The average Hispanic individual is 15 years younger than the average American age. Therefore, there is a chance that they can adopt healthy lifestyles. |
Weaknesses Overall high cases of diabetes, chronic liver disease, chronic obesity and deaths from homicides. Two out of five deaths (41%) among Hispanics were a result of cancer and cardiovascular disease (Dominguez et al., 2015). Decreased access to health care and preventative health care services. Both Hispanic men and women are likely to go for screening tests for cancer, and many other serious conditions. Most Hispanics do not have health insurance; hence they cannot access the right treatment they need. With 41.5% of Hispanics lacking health insurance in comparison to 15.5% of non-Hispanic whites, most Hispanics do not seek preventative care. U.S. born Hispanics have worst health outcomes. There is a greater prevalence of obesity, hypertension, smoking and heart disease in U. S.-born Hispanics in comparison with those who immigrated to the U.S. |
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Opportunities Outreach health programs for the Hispanic community and the minorities in general are on the rise. The increasing community outreach programs will help Hispanics, especially those who do not have insurance to access the much needed health services. Another opportunity is increasing public education and health awareness in general. Today’s population is more aware of healthy living due to increasing educational attainment among American Hispanics, hence they are more likely to adjust their lifestyle, diets and seek preventative health care. |
Threats Economic factors play an important role in access to health care. The economic status of Hispanics does not allow them to access the best health services in comparison to non-Hispanic whites. Alternatively, the general cost of health care in the U.S. is very high in comparison to other countries across the globe. The Hispanics are already marginalized economically, and most of them do not have insurance, hence accessing health services is a problem. Health policies that discriminate against the minorities. The availability of high numbers of unauthorized Hispanics make it hard for them to access the necessary health services. |
In conclusion, the Hispanic community is now an integral part of the U.S. population, forming 18% of the total American population (CDC, 2015). The SWOT analysis above shows that the Hispanic community has many strengths and opportunities that it can utilize to get rid of the weaknesses and to manage the threats. The biggest weakness facing the community is the lack of preventative care due to lack of insurance and adequate income. There is a need to increase health outreach programs to help Hispanics take a more proactive approach towards their health.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). Health of Hispanic or Latino Population. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/hispanic-health.htm
Dominguez, K., Penman-Aguilar, A., Chang, M. H., Moonesinghe, R., Castellanos, T., Rodriguez-Lainz, A., & Schieber, R. (2015). Vital signs: leading causes of death, prevalence of diseases and risk factors, and use of health services among Hispanics in the United States—2009–2013. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep , 64 (17), 469-478.
Pew Research Center. (2016).U.S. Unauthorized Immigrant Workforce Size Stable After Great Recession. Retrieved from: http://www.pewhispanic.org/
