The Hispanic/Latino ethnic group in the United States comprises persons of Central American, South American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican, or other Spanish origin or culture, regardless of race. The Office of Minority Health (2021) estimates the population of this ethnic community to be about 60 million people. The community makes up about 18 percent of the total United States population (Office of Minority Health, 2021). As of 2020, states with the most prominent Hispanic populations were Texas, California, New York, Florida, Illinois, Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Georgia (Tamayo et al., 2021). As a fast-growing community, many Hispanics are facing a grievous health risk in the form of obesity. The condition can significantly impact the community’s health, with serious health consequences such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, various forms of cancer, musculoskeletal disorders, and others (Forrest et al., 2017). Therefore, immediate strategies for preventing and mitigating obesity are required to help the community avoid such dire consequences.
According to the Office of Minority Health (2021), the community’s obesity prevalence in adults was 45.1 percent in 2020. The community’s rate of obesity prevalence in children is also high, which is reported to be at 25.3 percent among adolescents and children between 6 to 11 years of age (Office of Minority Health, 2021). With this in mind, epidemiologic and experimental evidence demonstrates that consumption of sweetened beverages and high-calorie fast foods is the community’s principal determinant of obesity. This consumption of unhealthy diets is attributed to shared cultural practices in the community and the affordability of fast foods (Forrest et al.,2017). Additionally, the data shows that the majority of the Hispanic population does not participate in regular physical activity, resulting in the rapid rise of obesity cases within the community (Forrest et al., 2017).
Despite the danger posed by obesity in the Hispanic community, various socio-economic factors make it challenging to eradicate the health problem. In this regard, poverty levels within the community are high compared to non-Hispanic populations. For example, Forrest et al. (2017) report that the mean household income in the Hispanic community was $49,793 compared to $65,845 among non-Hispanic whites. The level of unemployment is also high, accounting for 6 percent of the total U.S. population, compared to 4.2 percent for non-Hispanic whites (Forrest et al., 2017). Further, roughly 32.4 percent of the 45 million uninsured individuals are Hispanics (Office of Minority Health, 2021). Other factors, such as language barrier, cultural practices, and beliefs, also limit the community from receiving medical insurance cover (Forrest et al., 2017). Therefore, this lack of health insurance cover and limited access to medical services such as treatment, prevention, and management of the illness makes it difficult to eradicate obesity, increasing the condition rate among Hispanics.
Therefore, measures that can be taken to help the community prevent, manage, and eradicate obesity should be culturally competent to increase their efficacy. For example, appropriate cultural insights will help health care providers, and other related stakeholders effectively communicate the dangers of obesity with the community and help influence their behaviors (Tamayo et al., 2021). In this regard, stakeholders can use bilingual advertising messages to communicate with the Hispanic community to improve awareness of the issue in the community. Such awareness strategies can also bridge the gap between the community and health care providers to help solve the problem (Tamayo et al., 2021). Using these strategies, the community can be encouraged to embrace a healthier lifestyle, such as engaging in regular physical activity and consuming healthier diets. Moreover, the government should be involved in this process by easing access to healthcare for the underserved community (Tamayo et al., 2021). The government should also implement relevant policies that help raise the median household income in the community to help them afford to lead healthier lifestyle.
References
Forrest, K. Y., Leeds, M. J., & Ufelle, A. C. (2017). Epidemiology of obesity in the Hispanic adult population in the United States. Family & community health, 40(4), 291-297.
Office of Minority Health. (2021). Health Profile. Hispanic/Latino Americans.
Tamayo, M. C., Dobbs, P. D., & Pincu, Y. (2021). Family-centered interventions for treatment and prevention of childhood obesity in Hispanic families: A systematic review. Journal of Community Health, 46(3), 635-643.