The Prevalence of Diabetes in Hispanic Population in the US

Lorayna Lucero

Cal State University, Channel Islands

HLTH 499-Sec 001

Dr. Ashley Winans

July 24, 2022

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The Prevalence of Diabetes in Hispanic Populations in the US

Within this literature is an examination of the prevalence of diabetes in the

Hispanic Population in the United States. In the United States, the Hispanic or Latino

population is the largest minority group accounting for 13.7%. (Caballero, 2005). With

the Hispanic population being the largest minority group, they are more susceptible to

chronic diseases such as diabetes. Diabetes throughout the world is an epidemic itself,

however, in the United States, the number of people in the Hispanic population who have

been diagnosed with diabetes has increased drastically, which includes adults and

children. The Hispanic population is more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes,

while the children are most likely to be diagnosed with type 1. Throughout this review,

an analysis of the factors that contribute to the diagnoses of diabetes in the Hispanic

population, the way diabetes can affect the youth in the Hispanic population and explore

intervention techniques and management of diabetes.

Factors to Diagnosis

Since both adults and children are being diagnosed with diabetes in the Hispanic

population, this section will be focusing on what factors can contribute to the diagnosis of

diabetes. Within the Hispanic or Latino community are different subgroups that include

Mexican Americans, Dominican Americans, Cuban Americans, and Puerto Rican

Americans. All these diverse backgrounds make up the Hispanic population. According

to Aguayo-Mazzucato et al. 2018, “the Hispanic population is at higher than the national

average risk of not preventing or treating diseases such as diabetes and their

complications in a timely manner.” This example shows that since the Hispanic

population is the largest minority group in the United States, they have a harder time not
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getting all the resources. Most diabetes diagnoses come from genetics, but other factors

can contribute such as socioeconomic status, cultural factors, and physical or social

factors. According to Udler et al. 2019, “an individual’s risk of developing either of these

conditions is influenced by the combination of genetic variation at multiple sites across

the genome, acting in concert with factors within the external.” This example shows that

although genetics plays a role, it’s not it alone that causes the diagnosis of other physical

factors. Other physical factors may include physical exercise, nutritional foods, or

socioeconomic status. According to Kolb & Martin 2017, “Low levels of socioeconomic

determinants were associated with a 40–60% higher relative risk compared to the

subgroup with high levels.” This example shows that living in poverty or having a low

income can have a greater risk of being diagnosed with diabetes. Examples stated earlier

are some factors that can contribute to the diagnosis of diabetes in those in the Hispanic

population.

Diabetes in the Youth

Adding to the discussion, young children in the Hispanic population are also at

risk for diabetes. In this portion, a review of ways diabetes can affect children or

adolescents will be presented. In the United States, Latino youth is one of the fastest

growing populations, however, this means that a percentage will experience diabetes

health disparities. Some health disparities that might occur are lack of access to care,

mental health, life expectancy, the burden of disease, and lack of educational needs.

According to Valenzuela et al. 2014, “Hispanic youth reported difficulties with provider-

family
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communication and accessing contextualized care.” This example shows a health

disparity between communication and educational needs. The youth need improvement in

communication between healthcare providers, and parents or caregivers for a better

understanding of the treatment of the disease. It also shows that more education needs to

be done on maintaining lifelong disease and prevention, so the disease does not get

worse. The lack of physical activity is another component of why the Hispanic youth has

a problem with controlling their diabetes. The lack of physical activity comes from the

lack of support from family members. In Williams et al. 2018, girls in the Hispanic

population are less likely to gain support from family or friends. This example reveals

there is some bias within the population about physical activity between boys and girls,

meaning that you would expect boys to exercise more than girls. However, if both boys

and girls receive the same treatment with positive motivation improvements can be seen

in the children’s overall wellness. According to Williams et al. 2018, “social support

from friends and family is significantly and positively correlated with physical activity.”

This example shows that positive motivation for physical activity can improve quality of

life. Having support from friends and family will have a major impact on changing the

youth's health behaviors. These are some health disparities that Hispanic youth could face

when being diagnosed with any type of diabetes.

Intervention and Management

Bring in more to the discussion, ways to prevent diabetes and treat type 2 diabetes

in the Hispanic population. Hispanics have a higher prevalence of diabetes than any other

racial minority group. Some intervention programs have included weight loss, lifestyle

changes, and diet changes, all to reduce type 2 diabetes. In McCurley et al. 2017,
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“Culturally tailored diabetes prevention interventions for Hispanics appear to be modestly

effective in reducing risk for Type 2 diabetes via reduction of weight and HbA.” This

example shows that having a tailored intervention program specifically for the Hispanic

population can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Some tailored interventions can

include education on nutrition or incorporating physical activity. A few ways the

Hispanic population can manage their diabetes are by monitoring their glucose levels,

having a healthy diet, daily exercise, medication, and insulin. These are the primary ways

of managing diabetes. According to Nobles, 2013, “Proper management of Type II

diabetes requires lifestyle changes and continuing coordination between the patient and

healthcare provider.” This example shows that if the Hispanic population keeps up with

the doctor’s visits, having diabetes won’t define their lives. Having a relationship with

healthcare providers can make a difference in helping with managing diabetes. Making

the effort to change a lifestyle can also make a difference in the management of diabetes.

Interventions and management make all the difference in the prevalence of diabetes in the

Hispanic population.

Conclusion

To bring this discussion to a close, the Hispanic population in the United States is

one of the largest growing minority groups and has accounted for 15% of the US

population. Within the Hispanic population are different subgroups, which include

Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Cuban Americans. Adults and children in the

Hispanic population are affected by diabetes and throughout the decades the diagnosis

has increased at a fast rate. In this literature review, the factors that can contribute to

diabetes, the way the diagnosis affects the youth, and interventions and management of
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diabetes were all inspected. Overall, the Hispanic population has the highest percentage

out of all ethnic/minority groups of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Being that

Hispanics are more susceptible to diabetes, more research needs to be done in hopes of

reducing diabetes and better ways to manage the disease.

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References

Aguayo-Mazzucato, C., Diaque, P., Hernandez, S., Rosas, S., Kostic, A., & Caballero, A. E.

(2018). Understanding the growing epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the Hispanic

population living in the United States. Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews,

35(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/dmrr.3097

Caballero, A. E. (2005). Diabetes in the Hispanic or Latino population: Genes, environment,

culture, and more. Current Diabetes Reports, 5(3), 217–225.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-005-0012-5

Kolb, H., & Martin, S. (2017). Environmental/lifestyle factors in the pathogenesis and prevention

of type 2 diabetes. BMC Medicine, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-017-0901-x

McCurley, J. L., Gutierrez, A. P., & Gallo, L. C. (2017). Diabetes prevention in U.S. hispanic

adults: A systematic review of culturally tailored interventions. American Journal of

Preventive Medicine, 52(4), 519–529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2016.10.028

Nobles, K. (2013, February 22). Managing type II diabetes within the Hispanic community. RN

Journal. Retrieved July 31, 2022, from https://rn-journal.com/journal-of-

nursing/managing-type-ii-diabetes-within-the-hispanic-community

Udler, M. S., McCarthy, M. I., Florez, J. C., & Mahajan, A. (2019). Genetic risk scores for

diabetes diagnosis and Precision Medicine. Endocrine Reviews, 40(6), 1500–1520.

https://doi.org/10.1210/er.2019-00088

Valenzuela, J. M., Seid, M., Waitzfelder, B., Anderson, A. M., Beavers, D. P., Dabelea, D. M.,

Dolan, L. M., Imperatore, G., Marcovina, S., Reynolds, K., Yi-Frazier, J., & Mayer-

Davis, E. J. (2014). Prevalence of and disparities in barriers to care experienced by youth

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with type 1 diabetes. The Journal of Pediatrics, 164(6).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.01.035

Williams, A. N., Konopken, Y. P., Keller, C. S., Castro, F. G., Arcoleo, K. J., Barraza, E.,

Patrick, D. L., Olson, M. L., & Shaibi, G. Q. (2018). Corrigendum to ‘culturally-

grounded diabetes prevention program for obese Latino youth: Rationale, design, and

methods☆’’ [contemp. Clin. trials 54 (2017) 68–76]. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 71,

205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2018.06.014