Revisiting the Latino Health Paradox

Publication Date: August 2007

Publisher:

Author(s): Maria Teresa V. Taningco

Research Area: Health

Keywords: Hispanic Health; Health Paradox; Health Disparities; Latino Health

Type: Brief

Coverage: California

Abstract:

The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) study described in this report revisits the unexpected but currently widely accepted belief that Latinos in the United States tend to be healthier than the average population despite their generally low socioeconomic status (SES). This finding is referred to in the literature as the Latino health paradox.

This study investigated whether or not such a paradox exists for the following health outcomes: mental health, obesity/overweight, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, and overall health. Latinos were studied and compared with different groups as follows: Latinos versus non-Latinos, immigrant Latinos versus non-immigrant non-Latino whites, and Latinos across generations.

Data used in this study were taken from the 2005 Adult Survey Public Use Files (PUFs) of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), a state representative database of interviews with more than 45,000 households. This TRPI analysis is unique because, unlike other studies on the Latino health paradox, it takes into account SES, insurance status, lifestyle habits, different comparison groups and the effects of acculturation.