Health Promotion Among Diverse Populations

HEALTH PROMOTION AMONG DIVERSE POPULATIONS Student's Name: Professor's Name: Institution: Submission Date: Introduction: Hispanics Hispanics comprise one of the fastest expanding minority groups in the United States. Based on the 2000 census, they comprise approximately 16.9% of the total population of the United States. This represents an increase of about 60% from the last decade. In 1990, the total Hispanic population was 23 million while that of 2000 stood at 35.3 million. It is estimated that the Hispanic population is likely to stand at 97 million by 2050. By then, this will represent nearly a quarter of the total United States population. The principal factors behind the rapid growth of the Hispanic population in the United States include: (i) high immigration rates, (ii) increased fertility rates, and (iii) increased attribution rates. Out of the total Hispanic population in the US, Mexicans form the largest subgroup accounting for nearly 63%. The second in proportionality are the Puerto Ricans (accounting for about 11%) and Cubans come in third with slightly more than 4%. South and Central Americans are the other groups of Hispanics, but these are mainly people from several nationalities; together, they form 14% of the total US Hispanic population. The remaining 7% is derived from Hispanics of other nationalities living in America. These include Spanish and other unknown nationalities (Hogue, Hargraves, & Collins, 2000). Hispanic Health Status Averagely, the Hispanics' socioeconomic status is similar to that of African Americans, although considerably lower than that of non-Hispanic whites. The socioeconomic profile reflects all elements of poverty rates, education backgrounds, occupation, and personal as well as family income. The above factors have been found to play a big role in the overall health status of the Hispanics (Dubay, Holahan, & Cook, 2007). Access to healthcare among the Hispanics is insufficient due to several factors including personal, financial, and structural barriers. Personal barriers to healthcare include cultural as well as linguistic challenges. Structural barriers comprise organizational challenges to care, inadequate transport network to and from health providers, and poor or lack of geographical access to healthcare providers. On the other hand, financial barriers consist of low personal and family incomes as well as lack or inadequate health insurance. However gloomy the Hispanics' socioeconomic profile may look, most statistics indicate that the health status of Hispanics is quite favorable relative to other racial groups in the United States. This is the case regardless of whether one looks at the adult mortality, infant mortality, or life expectancy. Although the Hispanic population faces several socioeconomic challenges, their health status stands out from numerous studies conducted. However, many have questioned this phenomenon and even labeled it the "Hispanic health paradox". For example, the 1999 estimated life expectancy at birth for Hispanic women and men was 82.6 and 75.1 years, respectively. On the other hand, the estimated life expectancy for white women and men stood at 80.3 and 74.0 years, respectively. In...