Somos Diferentes/We're All Different: Breaking Down the Hispanic Paradox, NHIS 1997-2003

The Hispanic Paradox has traditionally referred to the fact that Hispanics have been shown to have health outcomes that are unexpectedly equal to or better than non-Hispanic whites in the United States, despite Hispanics typically having less favorable socioeconomic status. The Hispanic population in the US is a very diverse population with different diets, sociopolitical climates in the country of origin, and even different immigration patterns. Despite this within group diversity, research in support of the Hispanic Paradox has failed to acknowledge this diversity in the analysis. To describe diabetes, hypertension, and obesity prevalence trends among US Hispanics age-standardized prevalence was calculated for the time period of 1997-2003. Data are taken from the National Health Interview Survey and were limited to respondents age 18 years or older who identified as Hispanic. Age-standardized prevalence estimates were examined graphically to qualitatively describe gender, level of education, racial/ethnic and subgroup differences. Overall increases in age-standardized prevalence of obesity, hypertension and diabetes between 1997 and 2003 were 4%, 1.4%, and 0.8% respectively. The increases were consistent across gender but with some variations across levels of education. Graphical displays of the prevalence show age-adjusted prevalence rates consistent with what is expected under the Hispanic Paradox when comparing Hispanics as an aggregated group compared to non-Hispanic Black and White respondents. However, when Hispanics are disaggregated into subgroups by country of origin, the graphical displays reveal interesting variations in the age-adjusted prevalence rates. These preliminary results suggest that opportunities for targeted interventions may be overlooked if researchers continue to aggregate data on the Hispanic population in the US. Diabetes and heart disease are preventable, but missed intervention opportunities have major implications on the cost associated with treatment and management.