The Hispanic Paradox

While living in Los Angeles, especially in South Central, one sees a large number of underprivileged Hispanics compared to other races. In accordance, 26.7% of the U.S Hispanic population lives below the poverty level compared to only 10% of their white counterparts. (U.S. Census Bureau)  A trait common amongst them, especially the older ones, is their lack of fitness and deteriorating health. However, despite their low socioeconomic status, Hispanic people have much lower mortality rates compared to those of African-Americans and Caucasians, as shown below. This epidemiological finding is commonly known as the Hispanic Paradox.

The biggest factor in health is a person’s socioeconomic status. Hispanics face poor educational status, employment, health status, and use of health and social services because they have retained their native language, where about 33% of elder Latinos only speak Spanish. (Hooyman & Kiyak) Those without citizenship face the issue of not being able to apply for Social Security, SSI, Medicare, or Medicaid. These statistics should mean that Hispanics should be particularly vulnerable to chronic illnesses and should have an overall worse health compared to other races. 

One hypothesis for the Hispanic Paradox, known as the “Barrio Advantage” states that living in the same neighborhood as people with similar ethnic backgrounds proves greatly advantageous for one’s health. In a study of elderly Mexican Americans, those living in areas with a higher percentage of Mexican-Americans had lower seven year mortality as well as a decreased prevalence of other medical conditions. (Karl Eschbach). Another hypothesis referred to as the “healthy migrant effect” states that the selection of healthy Hispanic immigrants into the United States is reason for the paradox. International immigration statistics demonstrate that the mortality rate of immigrants is lower than in their country of origin. In the United States, foreign-born individuals have better self-reported health than American-born respondents. 

Nonetheless a long-term solution for the poverty situation of this particular race needs to be formulated so that a positive impact can be made on the health and socioeconomic status as Hispanics age.

References:

Eschbach, Karl. "Neighborhood Context and Mortality Among Older Mexican Americans: Is There a Barrio Advantage?". American Journal of Public Health.

Abraido-Lanza, A., Dohrenwend, B. P., & Ng-Mak, D. (1999). “The latino mortality paradox: A test of the ‘salmon bias’ and healthy migrant hypotheses”. American Journal of Public Health.

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/about/overview/index.html

Hooyman & Kiyak (.pdf)

The Silent Epidemic

I recently visited my Uncle and my Aunt in Seattle, whom I had not seen in a while. One night, my Uncle, who serves as a physician in several hospitals in Seattle, had an interesting conversation with me. I initiated the topic about superiority amongst races when genetics are concerned and if he has seen common trends amongst different races that made them weaker or stronger. I was always under the impression that people of African origins were better built physically and similarly had greater endurance to diseases. However he revealed the opposite to me that African-Americans are more prone to certain diseases due to their genes, such as sickle cell anemia, hypertension, prostate cancer and diabetes. Researching on the matter revealed much more, especially about the silent epidemic of increased Alzheimer’s disease amongst black people.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and is usually diagnosed in people over the age of 65. (Alzheimer’s Research Foundation). ‘Alzheimer’s disease is more prevalent among African-Americans than among whites - with estimates ranging from 14% to almost 100% higher.’ (Cynthia Post) This is a surprisingly high statistic. What is even more shocking is the fact that there is a greater familial risk of Alzheimer’s in African-Americans. (Alzheimer’s Association) While the immediate causes of the disease remain unknown, I noticed that one of the common suspected cause included hypertension. This was supported by an article, which mentioned that ‘Data from longitudinal studies suggest that high cholesterol and high blood pressure may be significant risk factors for Alzheimer’s’. (Alzheimer’s Association) These are trivial findings for African populations, among whom vascular disease and its risk factors are already disproportionately present.

Africa is believed to be the ancestral homeland of all modern humans. (Sarah A. Tishkof) Perhaps these prevalent diseases are caused by susceptible alleles that are likely present in older races, and hence present more so in people of African origin. Hence, it is important to study African populations for not only their benefit but for the benefit of other races as well. It is equally important to increase awareness of Alzheimer’s among African populations, and to get services and treatments to those who are affected by the disease.

References:

Sarah A. Tishkoff and Scott M. Williams, “GENETIC ANALYSIS OF AFRICAN POPULATIONS: HUMAN EVOLUTION AND COMPLEX DISEASE”, Aug 2002. http://www.uvm.edu/~rsingle/stat395/S04/papers/Tishkoff%2BWilliams-NatRevGenetics-02.pdf

Cynthia Post, “Georgia: Alzheimer's Disease in the African American Community”, Atlanta Daily. http://www.dnafiles.org/outreach/ethnic-media-fellows/atlanta-ga-cynthia-post

Alzheimer’s Association, “African-Americans and Alzheimer’s disease” http://www.alz.org/national/documents/report_africanamericanssilentepidemic.pdf

"Alzheimer's Research on Causes and Risk Factors." Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation. May 1, 2003. http://www.alzinfo.org/research/alzheimers-research-on-causes-and-risk-factors