Camila Villacreses

The Prevalence of Diabetes Within Hispanics

Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing diseases in the United States- every 17 seconds, someone in the
United States is diagnosed with diabetes. 7 It is a disease in which the individual has high levels of blood
glucose3 because of problems that their body has with either producing, or recognizing insulin. Understanding
the factors, risks, and prevention of diabetes is critical, especially in the United States. It is estimated that the
national cost of diabetes [is] $132 billion,8 which affects the entire population economically. Being educated in
diabetes is also important because the symptoms caused by the disease are very threatening. Some of the most
common symptoms include recurrent urination, hunger, weight gain, cuts and bruises that do not heal, and
sexual dysfunction,3 There are also many long term risks with diabetes, due to the fact that cardiovascular
disease increases immensely for someone with diabetes.3 These complications include damage to large blood
vessels in the legs, and damage to small blood vessels that can cause damage in the eyes and cardiovascular
problems such as heart attacks and strokes. 10 Because, often, diabetes causes nerve damage, some individuals
might experience numbness in the feet and not realize cuts that lead to infection,13 which is why there is such a
high percentage of amputations in diabetics. All of these health and economic factors are an indication as to
why diabetes is a serious problem in the U.S. There is a severe importance in understanding who is at risk of
developing diabetes, and it has been observed that Hispanics in the U.S. have frighteningly higher rates of
diabetes than non-Hispanic whites. Particularly, Hispanics experience more of the long term effects and
consequences of diabetes than non-Hispanic whites.14
A Hispanic in the U.S. is defined as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central
American, or other Spanish culture or origin.5 Hispanic groups in the U.S. have often been observed to be at
lower socioeconomic statuses as compared to non-Hispanic whites. This, in effect, has led to health disparities
between Hispanics and other race groups in the U.S. These disparities affect the quality of life of Hispanics
negatively. Some of the consequences of disparity include a loss in quality of life, and economic inequality.1
One of the most frequently seen health disparities is in diabetes. Hispanic adults are 1.7 times more likely than
non-Hispanic white adults to have been diagnosed with diabetes by a physician15 and 1.5 times as likely [to]
die from diabetes.15 It is estimated that Hispanics will make up almost 24.5% of the total U.S. population by
2050, which would mean a huge increase in the population that has diabetes. The disparity in diabetes is seen
between non-Hispanic whites and all other minorities in the U.S., including African Americans and Native
Americans, but it is especially prevalent in Hispanics. There are also disparities seen inside the Hispanic group.
The prevalence of diabetes amongst Hispanics themselves decreases with level of education and increases with
body mass index.2
Many factors go into the discrepancy in diabetes between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. They all,
however, come down to socioeconomic status. The leading cause of diabetes is obesity and lack of exercise.
Hispanics participate in very little physical activity 11 which can be traced back to neighborhood/spatial
inequalities. A lack of gyms and safe neighborhood environments cause Hispanics in a lower SES to exercise
and play outside less. Hispanic children at earlier and earlier ages11 are being observed to have adult onset
diabetes. Parents of children with diabetes are advised to work closely with a health care provider to optimize
the health of their child9 but many Hispanic parents often have conflicting demands and job strain6 which takes
away from their time at home and to be able to take care of their children. According to researchers, family roles
are important in determining the presence or passing along of diabetes11 as well, which is a problem in Hispanic
communities since many adult family members may already have diabetes or be obese, and they influence the
younger generations. Level of education1 has been linked to health disparities in the U.S. and it is particularly
prevalent in Hispanic immigrants who are not fluent in English and who are not educated in the U.S. health care
system1 Surprisingly, studies have found that the longer a person lived in the [U.S.], the more likely they were
to develop diabetes.6 This finding might have to do with the fact that the longer Hispanic immigrants live in the
U.S., the more used they become to eating unhealthy due to the demands of a low SES lifestyle. Although many
elements play a role in the increased presence of diabetes in Hispanics, it has been detected that it has not been
significantly associated with health insurance,2 which can be due to the fact that accessibility and quality of
health care is often not the full explanation for SES health disparities. These factors can all be linked to SES,
which is often lower within Hispanic communities.
The main cause of diabetes in any person is obesity and/or lack of exercise. It has been observed that
prevalence of diabetes is decreased among people who do physical activity.2 Because Hispanics are often
correlated with a lower SES in the U.S., there are many explanations as to why they may not practice healthy
habits as compared to non-Hispanic whites. One of these explanations is neighborhood and spatial inequality,
which is when resources and residents are distributed unequally, often with lower SES residents having the
disorderly effects of these distributions. Disorderly neighborhoods frequently illustrate unsafe physical
environments, and a lack of resources such as maintenance of buildings and cleanliness. These environments are
associated with depression and absence of motivation to maintain a healthy lifestyle. All of these are
explanations for the lack of exercise and presence of obesity in low SES Hispanic groups. Children are often not
able to go outside and practice normal play because of dangerous neighborhoods, and parents become less
motivated to cook for their families or practice exercise themselves. These inequalities in neighborhood
environment for Hispanics are, therefore, a key mechanism in explaining the occurrence of diabetes.
Many government and related organizations in the U.S. have already begun the first steps toward
reducing the surplus of individuals with diabetes among Hispanics. The National Diabetes Education Program,
which is a program sponsored by the CDC, has started a diabetes prevention campaign for different cultures
called Small Steps. Big Rewards.2 This campaign gives out educational information and tools to help [patients]
take small steps to prevent or delay the disease.16 There has also been a movements towards health related
employee programs,4 which may not always reach out to actual Hispanic groups since they often work in non-
office environments such as construction work and as maids in households. There is often a mistake made with
these educational programs, which is that they do not target Hispanic culture. Pamphlets and informational tips
have to be geared a certain way. Hispanics are usually family oriented12 and many of them have low literacy and
educational levels. It needs to be kept in mind that some Hispanics may be illiterate, and therefore would only
understand pamphlets with pictures. Hispanics are also very concerned with food in their culture12 and the
cooking habits of mothers should be respected, as this can be something Hispanic women are very proud of and
can be offended by easily. These educational programs and classes are very important but need to be adjusted to
the culture. Some things that would improve these initiatives are encouraging families of diabetics to join them
at the classes, to make the educational portions (any videos or pamphlets) as simple to understand as possible,
and to encourage each household cook to find healthier alternatives for ingredients used in traditional foods.
By becoming adjusted to the culture in the U.S., many Hispanics find themselves at a disadvantage in things
such as health disparity. These disparities and conflicts can be fixed by initiatives that target their own unique
cultural habits.
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