Volume 38 - Article 52 | Pages 1605–1618
Sociocultural variability in the Latino population: Age patterns and differences in morbidity among older US adults
Date received: | 21 Nov 2017 |
Date published: | 15 May 2018 |
Word count: | 2232 |
Keywords: | aging, health, health disparities, Latinos, National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), United States |
DOI: | 10.4054/DemRes.2018.38.52 |
Abstract
Background: The US Latino population is rapidly aging and becoming increasingly diverse with respect to nativity and national origin. Increased longevity along with medical advancements in treatment have resulted in a higher number of older Latinos living with morbidity. Therefore, there is a need to understand variability in Latino health among older adults.
Objective: This paper documents mid- and late-life health differences in morbidity by race/ethnicity, nativity, and country of origin among adults aged 50 and older.
Methods: We use data from the 2000–2015 National Health Interview Survey to calculate age- and gender-specific proportions based on reports of five morbidity measures: hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes among non-Latino Whites and seven Latino subgroups.
Results: The foreign-born from Mexico, Cuba, and Central/South America, regardless of gender, exhibit an immigrant advantage for heart disease and cancer in comparison to non-Latino Whites across all age categories. Conversely, island-born Puerto Ricans are generally characterized with higher levels of morbidity. Similarly, US-born Puerto Ricans and Mexicans exhibit morbidity patterns indicative of their minority status. Latinos, regardless of gender, were more likely to report diabetes than non-Latino Whites. Hypertension and stroke have significant variability in age patterns among US- and foreign-born Latinos.
Conclusions: Recognizing the importance of within-Latino heterogeneity in health is imperative if researchers are to implement social services and health policies aimed at ameliorating the risk of disease.
Contribution: Considering intersectional ethnic, nativity, and country-of-origin characteristics among older Latinos is important to better understand the underlying causes of racial/ethnic disparities in morbidity across the life course.
Author's Affiliation
Catherine Garcia - University of Southern California, United States of America
Marc A. Garcia - University of Nebraska–Lincoln, United States of America
Jennifer Ailshire, PhD - University of Southern California, United States of America
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