Report Outlines State of Latino Health & Education

Share On Social!

From age 2 to 5, nearly 1 in 7 Latino boys are obese; by middle school, these rates go up to 22%. These facts and more about the overall health and education of young Latino males are discussed in a new report from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families.

The status is particularly important as Latino children currently make up nearly 25% of the all children in the United States and by 2050 are projected to be nearly 30%. With nearly half of all children male, how Latino boys and young men fare has a great impact overall on the country’s social and economic well-being.

In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and policies. Join our site, connect with others, and get involved.

Other findings from the report include that nearly 30% of all Latino children in the country are in poverty, more than any other racial or ethnic group. Nearly two thirds of all Latino children live in low-income families, but, despite their “high levels of economic need,” Latinos (especially immigrant families) have lower rates of participating in any government-supported assistance programs compared to other racial and ethnic minorities.

At every age, Latinos are less likely to have health insurance and the vast majority of Latino male infants have never been breastfed, which is a practice associated with healthy birth weight. In terms of education, Latino males have lower rates of early education programs; this causes many of them to lag behind white and black boys in school-readiness skills.

Educational disparities exist throughout school in higher grades for Latino boys. They are less likely to have proficiency in reading, math, and science in fourth and eighth grades, especially compared to white and black peers. Despite higher dropout rates from high school and the fact that they are less likely to enroll in and complete college, Latino young men have high levels of employment.