Mistreatment based on background and unfair treatment are among Latinos’ biggest challenges to healthcare. Driven by years of mistreatment, Latinos and other vulnerable groups face challenges in care and mistrust of the healthcare system. This prompts reluctance to receive life-saving care or health screenings. Putting off care can result in a delayed diagnosis and prolonged and more expensive medical treatment for chronic diseases, such as cancer, leading to worse health outcomes. But how widespread is mistreatment in healthcare? Doctors are more likely to use negative language when referencing Black and Latino patients in medical records, according to a new study in JMIR Medical Informatics. Let’s unpack the study and the meaning behind the results. ...
Cancer continues to be a leading cause of death in Latinos. Long-standing mistreatment of vulnerable populations have led to a higher exposure to risk factors for cancer, such as obesity, diabetes, and stress. These risk factors are compounded by the non-medical drivers of health (NMDoH) such as access to healthy foods, transportation, and health insurance that many Latinos face, making it difficult to seek healthcare, culminating in worse health outcomes. Another big factor is driving worse health for Latinos – a lack of preventative care. 64% of Latinos skipped recommended health screenings, such as colonoscopies, pap smears, mammograms, and more, according to a news release about the second annual Wellness Matters Survey published by Aflac. Let’s ...
Latinos and other group that experience health differences are frequently left out in spine pain clinical trials, according to an analysis from eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The study, published by National Institute of Health and funded by the National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health, found a lack of participation among vulnerable populations and other overlooked groups. Let’s look further into the data and how it impacts Latinos.
Participation in Clinical Trials on Spinal Pain
The analysis points out that, while RCTs are considered the gold standard study design for evaluating treatment effectiveness, they can suffer from generalizability issues. In other words, the findings of these studies can’t be generalized to the U.S. population because ...
An estimated 795,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, amounting to one stroke every 40 seconds, according to the Stroke Awareness Foundation. Every 4 minutes, someone dies from a stroke, according to the American Stroke Association. Due to background differences that affect many Latinos, stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death in Latino men and the third for Latina women. Stroke is also a top cause of serious, long-term mental or physical challenge. The Stroke Awareness Foundation found that within 5 years of a first stroke, 25% of survivors will face another, complicating health for more than 7 million survivors. This makes access to care critical, especially for Latinos, who often lack health insurance. However, Latinos were less likely than ...
Latinas account for 17% of all adult women in the U.S. today. Similarly, their population is the largest numeric increase of any major women vulnerable group, growing to 5.6 million from 2010 to 2022. A recent report from the Pew Research Center shows that half of Latinas say the situation in relation to education, employment, and earnings of Latina women in the United States is better now than it was 10 years ago, and a similar share say the situation will improve in the next 10 years. “Still, 39% of Latinas say that the situation has stayed the same, and 34% say it will not change in the next 10 years,” according to the report. Let’s dive deeper into the data and what it means for Latinas moving forward.
Latinas and Education Attainment
The report highlights that ...
Latinos now make up 19.5% of the US population. Counties in California, Florida, and Texas are home to some of the largest Latino communities in the nation. However, a recent Axios analysis found that poverty rates are also higher within many of these areas. US Census Bureau 2022 5-year estimates show that 10 of the largest Latino communities have a poverty rate that’s 50% higher than the national average (12.5%). Let’s break down the numbers and how they relate to the health of Latinos.
Analysis Findings on Poverty
Axios conducted an analysis of 10 census-designated places that had at least 100,000 residents with a high percentage of Latinos. Based on the collective data, the outlet determined that the average rate of poverty for Latinos in these ...
Latinos make up 19.5% of the US population, which equates to 65 million people. As of 2023, about 75% of Latinos living in the US speak Spanish, 17% speak English, and over half (54%) of the Latino population in the US fall somewhere on the bilingual spectrum. Despite Spanish being the second-most spoken language in the US, a new report by the Pew Research Center found that found that 54% Latino adults get their news in English. Let’s explore the news media habits of US Latinos further.
Latino News Consumption by Language
While 54% of US adult Latinos receive news in English, the rest consume news in mostly Spanish (21%) or in both languages (23%), according to the report. When it comes to preferability, 51% of Latino adults prefer news in English, 24% ...
The pandemic took a toll on many families across the country, especially Latino families. Some Latinos lost jobs while others lost the roofs over their heads, and many lost loved ones to the social, health, and economic impacts of COVID-19. To combat some of these hardships, the US government adopted several policies to assist families struggling financially. One such pandemic-era policy was the automatic renewal of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage making it easier to maintain coverage during a time of economic uncertainty. The policy stretched on for three years until states began the process of screening for eligibility in early 2023. The sudden upheaval of guaranteed medical insurance for low-income families receiving ...
US Latinos and other populations made historic gains in healthcare coverage in the years after the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to five recent research briefs from the US Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). In the research brief focused on Latinos, research showed that the uninsured rate for nonelderly Latinos decreased from 32.7% to 18% from 2010 to 2022. However, the brief also found that Latinos are more than twice as likely as non-Latino Whites to be uninsured. Let’s further explore health insurance coverage among Latinos.
Latinos Facing Health Challenges
For Latinos, health outcomes are affected by factors like lack of health insurance, language challenges, and lack of access to care. “Studies show that people without health ...
