The U.S. Hispanic population faces significant obstacles to good health. For instance, in 2002 Hispanics made up 21.8 percent of the population living below the poverty level. (See Table 5.6 in Chapter 5.) Furthermore, Hispanic Americans are also over-represented in low-paying jobs in the manufacturing and construction industries, as well as farming and metal mining, all of which report a high number of work-related injuries. According to the study Occupational Hispanic Workers issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2002, between 1992 and 1999 more than 5,100 Hispanic workers lost their lives while on the job. The highest incidence of fatal injuries occurred in the construction, agriculture, retail, and service industries.

TABLE 6.10
Alcohol consumption by persons 18 years of age and over, according to selected characteristics: Selected years 1997–2001 [Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population]

Despite these difficulties, Hispanics exhibit good health as a group in a number of areas. For example, the Hispanic population has seen a decline in the proportion of people who have died of heart disease in recent years. In 2001 there were 192.2 deaths per 100,000 people from heart disease among Hispanics, down from 217.1 deaths per 100,000 people in 1990. Hispanics also had a lower proportion of lung cancer rates in 1998 than other races and ethnic groups. There were 23.8 lung cancer deaths per 100,000 people among Hispanics, compared to 62.5 deaths per 100,000 among Black or African-Americans, and 57.7 deaths per 100,000 among non-Hispanic white Americans. (See Table 6.16.)

Having health insurance is commonly associated with employment, retirement, and income. Hispanics are less likely than any other population group to have medical insurance. In 2001, 34.8 percent of Hispanics had no medical health insurance, compared to 11.9 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 19.2 percent of non-Hispanic African-Americans. Among Hispanic subgroups, a higher percentage of Mexicans (39 percent) than Cubans (19.2 percent) and Puerto Ricans (16 percent) had no insurance. (See Table 6.7.)

Recent studies question the commonly assumed connection between lower levels of income and education and high infant mortality. Between 1998 and 2001 Hispanics had a consistently lower infant mortality rate than non-Hispanic whites. There were 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births among Hispanics in 2001, compared to 5.7 deaths per 1,000 live births among non-Hispanic whites. The infant mortality rate was significantly higher among African-Americans and Native Americans/Alaska Natives. Among non-Hispanic African-Americans, there were 13.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, and among Native Americans/Alaska Natives, there were 9.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. (See Table 6.4.) Researchers have speculated that greater social support, less high-risk behavior, and dietary factors may explain the differences.

In addition to lower fatalities from lung cancer, Hispanics are also less likely than other racial and ethnic groups to die from breast cancer. Among Hispanic women, in 2001 there were 16.3 breast cancer deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 34.4 deaths per 100,000 population among Black or African-Americans and 26 deaths among non-Hispanic whites per 100,000 population. That same year there were 23.5 prostate cancer-related deaths per 100,000 population among Hispanics, compared to 66.1 deaths per 100,000 population among Black or African-Americans and 26.7 deaths per 100,000 population among non-Hispanic whites. (See Table 6.16.)

TABLE 6.11
Use of selected substances in the past month by persons 12 years of age and over, according to age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin: Selected years 1999–2001
[Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population 12 years of age and over]

Even though Hispanics have a lower death rate from heart disease than most groups, it is still a leading killer of Hispanics. In 2001 Hispanics—with a rate of 192.2 deaths per 100,000 population—were more likely than Asians/Pacific Islanders (137.6 deaths per 100,000) and Native Americans/Alaska Natives (159.6 deaths per 100,000), but less likely than non-Hispanic whites (245.6 per 100,000) or African-Americans (316.9 per 100,000), to die of heart disease. (See Table 6.16.)

TABLE 6.11
Use of selected substances in the past month by persons 12 years of age and over, according to age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin: Selected years 1999-2001
[Data are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population 12 years of age and over]

Diabetes is a major problem for Hispanics. In the United States, Hispanics have a higher death rate from diabetes than whites but with a lower rate than African-Americans and Native Americans/Alaska Natives. In 2001 there were 36.7 Hispanic deaths from diabetes per 100,000 people, compared to only 16.9 for Asians and Pacific Islanders, 22.1 for non-Hispanic whites, 40.4 for Native Americans/Alaska Natives, and 49.2 for Blacks and African-Americans. (See Table 6.16.)

In 1990 Hispanics, like African-Americans, had a higher homicide rate than most other groups. However, between 1990 and 2001, the homicide death rate among Hispanics dropped from 16.2 deaths per 100,000 to 8.3 homicides per 100,000 in 2001. The 2001 suicide rate among Hispanics was 5.7 per 100,000 while the national average was 10.7. The death rate for Hispanics from lower respiratory diseases in 2001 was 20.7 per 100,000 population, considerably lower than the national average of 43.7. (See Table 6.16.)