On Tuesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a first-of-its-kind report titled “Vital Signs” on the overall health of Latinos living in the United States, which contained both positive and negative takeaways. While the overall death rate in the Latino community remained significantly lower than that of non-Hispanic whites, the Latino community is still disproportionately affected by certain diseases and conditions.
Leandris Liburd, CDC Associate Director for Minority Health and Health Equity noted that “this report reinforces the need to sustain strong community, public health, and health care linkages that support Hispanic health.”
Among the CDC’s findings, Latinos are about 50% more likely than non-Hispanic whites to die from liver disease and complications with diabetes. The report also found that Latinos living outside of the United States had a significantly higher degree of health and wellness and that Latinos living in the United States were about three times more likely to be without health insurance than non-Hispanic whites. Cancer, heart disease, unintentional injuries, stroke and diabetes rank as the top health concerns and causes of death for Latinos according to the report.
Following the release of the report, Dr. Tom Frieden, Director of the CDC stated that “there are some areas of health that are worse, some that are better…” adding later “…but they can be improved.”
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