The Health Crisis

It seems that everywhere I turn lately, I’m encountering more and more articles telling me that the Latino population is in big trouble when it comes to Health. The topics range from lack of medical insurance to obesity. And as a result of these issues, even bigger problems arise.

According to a recent HispanicBusiness article:

Among California Latinos, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer, account for 56 percent of all deaths. In addition, 40 percent of California Latino adults are overweight and 29 percent are obese.

A recent study conducted in Washington, D.C. tells us:

The findings show only 41 percent of Latino residents have health insurance, about 32 percent have not seen a doctor in more than two years and 61 percent of the respondents were overweight or obese.

Possible Reasons
I’ve been following similar health issues in Mexico, and dietary change was being blamed for a big portion of the obesity and diabetes.

The results of the Latino Health Summit in California last month suggest that part of the problem also lies in difficulty to access nutritious foods in some neighborhoods, expense of fresh fruits and vegetables, and the fact that physical activity is often difficult due to lack of crosswalks, length of light to cross the street, and other problems with pedestrians crossing the roadways.

Solutions
In D.C., one of the only recommendations highlighted in the article to combat low enrollment in health care was to improve bilingual outreach efforts. I have not been able to find the results of this study myself, but I am left still wondering why? It would seem to me that many people don’t have health insurance because of financial issues, or maybe because of cultural reasons. If that were the case, the recommendation outlined wouldn’t really be targeting the root cause.

California has a special “Latino 5 a Day” program to encourage healthier eating. The website offers most material in English and Spanish, including information on community empowerment, calendar of events, and even recipes. Also, as a result of their recent Summit, they have identified various ways to try to “increase accessibility to healthy foods and physical activity.”

Today we have looked at just a couple of examples of issues going on around the country. It is obvious, however, that health is going to be a widespread issue that the Latino community will need to focus on for a while. And I believe that a healthy, balanced diet is a step in the right direction.