Latinos

I chose to write my research paper on the common disease that can affect the ethnic

group of Latinos. In which I categorize myself in.

I decided to take some time to learn more about this and how it can help me make better

decisions that will benefit my health in the long run. My family and I tend to have a healthy diet,

but there's always room for improvement. Obviously, our diet isn't perfect, but I would say it is

safe to say healthier than many other families of Hispanic descent. Something that the Latino

community needs to address is concerning their health insurance. About one-third of Latinos in

the United States do not have health insurance. Making it difficult to detect any possible health

concern or keep a healthy lifestyle. Another thing that these Latinos can face is the culture and

language barrier. At times, it can be difficult to communicate to their doctor their exact

symptoms or even their customs that can be affecting their health. Making the patient have a

harder time being able to feel comfortable about their situation to their physician.

As I was researching this topic, I came across of three main health concerns Latinos face;

heart disease, diabetes, and obesity in the United States. Lets review these three and how much

it affects, specifically the Latino community.

Heart Disease

Heart Disease, or cardiovascular disease is basically heart conditions that includes

diseased vessels, structural problems, and blood clots. The most common is coronary heart

disease. This can cause Angina, or heart attack.

In the United States 610,000 people die of heart disease every year. Thats about 1 in

every 4 deaths are heart disease. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart

disease is the leading cause of death for; African Americans, Hispanic and whites. It also
reported with American Indians/Alaska Natives with an 18.4% of deaths. Asians/Pacific

Islanders with a 22.2%. Blacks and Whites with 23.8%.

Some of the symptoms include; chest pain or discomfort, upper body pain of discomfort

in the arms, back neck, jaw or upper stomach, shortness of breath, nausea, lightheadedness or

cold sweats. What can put someone on a higher risk for Heart Disease is the following; diabetes,

overweight and obesity, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol use.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a group of diseases that result in too much sugar in the body. The four most

common are; Type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes, prediabetes and Gestational diabetes.

According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, 8.3% or

25.8million people of the population in the United States has diabetes. With Hispanics having the

second highest rate of diabetes compared to various ethnic groups, surpassing with an 11.8%

The symptoms for prediabetes can be a little tricky because there really isnt. Warnings

signs are very small and hard to notice. The best option would be checking the glucose level. For

type 2 diabetes on the other hand may cause the following symptoms; increased thirst, increased

hunger, dry mouth, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision,

headaches and loss of consciousness. For type 1 diabetes; Frequent urination, increased thirst,

unexplained weight loss, increased hunger, blurry vision, and feeling fatigued. And lastly,

Gestational diabetes. There are no symptoms, one needs to be tested for this condition. And since

it only affects pregnant women, it is recommended to be checked between the 24th and 28th week

of being pregnant.
Obesity

Obesity is a disorder involving excessive body fat that increase the risk of health

problems. This often occurs when a person is taking in more calories that are being burned by

exercise and normal daily activities. A person is considered obese when their BMI(body mass

index) is greater than 30.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, more

than two thirds, or 68.8% of adults are considered to be overweight or obese in the Unites States.

With the Hispanics being affect by obesity with more than 3 in every 4 Hispanics or a 78.8%

affected rate.

The symptoms of obesity include; breathlessness, increased sweating, snoring, inability

to cope with sudden physical activity, feeling very tired every day, back and joint pains, and low

confidence and self-esteem.

As weve compared and contrasted three of the most common heath concerns evolving

the Latino community we can safely say that the Latino community scored very high for all of

these three diseases. Many of the times this ethnic group lacks on getting their regular checkups

resulting in a harder time tracking a disease before it comes a big concern. A lot of the times

these diseases can be avoided by regular exercise and healthier food choices. By combining these

two a lot of health issues can be resolved and even avoided.

 Citations

"Early Symptoms of Diabetes." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.

"Heart Disease Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 10 Aug. 2015. Web. 02 Apr. 2017.
"Overweight and Obesity Statistics." National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.
Spanakis, Elias K., and Sherita Hill Golden. "Race/Ethnic Difference in Diabetes and Diabetic
Complications." Current diabetes reports. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2013. Web. 05 Apr.
2017.