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 Latinx and Hispanics 

History[ edit]
While Latinos and Hispanic populations are not considered a race category by the U.S. Census, this section of the article refers to Latinos or Hispanics as an ethnic group, as classified by the Census Bureau. '''Hispanic usually refers to the language and individuals who ancestry comes from Spain or Spanish town. Latino usually refers to geography, specifically to Latin America, including Caribbean, South America & Central America. References to the Latinx''' and Hispanic community in the United States are frequently linked to discussions about immigration. The geographic origins of Hispanic and Latinx influxes of immigration have changed through the years. During the 2010s Latin American and Caribbean countries have accounted for the main source of immigrant populations migrating towards the United States.

The Hispanic Paradox is an important aspect of discussions around the history of the health of Latinx and Hispanic populations in the United States. In 1986, Prof. Kyriakos Markides conceived the term “the Hispanic paradox” to refer to the epidemiological phenomenon that Hispanic individuals in the US live longer than their white non-Hispanic counterparts despite the general lower socioeconomic status of the population and their relative lack of access to healthcare. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report on May 5th 2015, relating to the general status and causes of deaths of Hispanic population in the United States. The report utilized mortality indicators and national health surveillance of Hispanic populations compared to their White counterparts to explore the possibility of Markides' paradox. Primarily results indicated that Hispanic deaths from diabetes, liver disease, and homicide were substantially higher than in non-Hispanic white populations. Nevertheless, Hispanics generally had a 24% lower risk of all-cause mortality and lower risks of nine of the leading 15 causes of death in the USA (most notably, cancer and heart disease).

Tied to the health status of Latinx and Hispanic in the United States is an observed mistrust of doctors and the health system. This mistrust can stem from language barriers, threat of discrimination and historical events that dismissed the consent of patients like the sterilization of Latina women in California until 1979. According to a study conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Hispanics were the population that was most likely to have never visited a medical provider, with 42.3 percent reporting that they had never done so. The U.S healthcare system is largely geared toward serving English speakers which creates an issue for Latinx and hispanic '''individuals that don't speak English. Five(55%) of the nine studies examining access to acre found a significant adverse effect of language; three (33%) found mixed or weak evidence that language affected access. Six (86%) of the seven studies evaluating quality of care found a significant detrimental effect of language barriers.'''

Mental health[ edit]
In many Hispanic and Latinx communities, mental health problems are viewed as a sign of weakness and are not necessarily validated. Hispanics/Latinx are often cited as a high-risk group for mental health issues, particularly for substance abuse, depression, and anxiety. A study conducted from 2008 to 2011, sampled more than 16,000 Hispanics/Latinos ages 18 to 74 in four diverse communities in the states of New York, Chicago, San Diego, and Miami. The findings demonstrated that 27 percent of Hispanics/Latinos in the study reported high levels of depressive symptoms.

U.S population '''is made up of 17.8% Hispanic and Latinx individuals. Out of those individuals 15% had a diagnosable mental illness. This means 8.9 million people who are Latinx or Hispanic suffered from a mental illness. Immigrants in this community face inequalities in socioeconomic status, education, an access to health care services . Hispanics are 1 of the lowest race/ethnicity to receive treatment based on research from 2013.''' Research have signaled multiple sources of stress that could potentially impact mental health outcomes in Hispanic/Latino communities. For example, language influences the way patients are evaluated. Several studies have found that bilingual patients are evaluated differently when interviewed in English as opposed to Spanish and that Hispanics are more frequently under-treated. Furthermore, Hispanics/Latinos are more likely to report poor communication with their health provider. Income has also proven to be a significant factor that impacts the mental health of Latino communities, as low-income individuals may have limited access to mental health services. Nationally, 21.1% of hispanics are uninsured compared to 7.5% non-hispanic individuals. Low insurance coverage affects this group of people because ethnicity plays a role, immigration status, and citizenship status. Only 1 in 10 Hispanics with a mental disorder utilizes mental health services from a general health care provider. Moreover, only 1 in 20 Hispanic individuals receives such services from a mental health specialist.

Maternal and child health[ edit]
According to the Census Bureau, while the number of non-Hispanic white women of childbearing age (15-44 years) is projected to decrease from 36.5 million in 2010 to 35.2 million in 2020, the number of Hispanic women of childbearing age is projected to increase from 11.8 million in 2010 to more than 13.8 million Hispanic women. The increase in the Hispanic population in the United States is driven in part by high fertility rates. During 2012, the fertility rate for Hispanic identifying women was 74.4 births per 1,000 women of ages 15-44. In 2012, Hispanic women accounted for 23 percent or 907,677 of all of the 3,952,841 live births in the United States. Within the Hispanic population, the majority of births occurred among those of Mexican descent (61.2%), followed by Central/South American (14.5%), Puerto Rican (7.4%), and Cuban (1.9%).

There is high medical disparity amongst hospitals contributing to high mortality rates based on resources compared to non-hispanic and white mothers. Examining the data from 2010, the infant mortality rate (death during the first year of life) among Hispanic women was 5.3 per 1,000 live births. This rate accounted for more than 20 percent of all infant deaths in the United States during the year 2010. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, “when specific causes of infant mortality are examined the leading cause of infant deaths in 2010 among Hispanics was birth defects (136.5 per 100,000 live births), followed by prematurity/low birth-weight (85.0 per 100,000 live births), maternal complications of pregnancy. Hispanic mothers were 70 percent as likely to receive late or no prenatal care as compared to non-Hispanic white mothers, in 2017. Research suggest that improving quality of the lowest performing hospitals could benefit both non-Hispanic white and Hispanic women while reducing ethnic disparities in serve maternal morbidity rates.

Access to Healthcare[ edit]
Hispanic health is often shaped by factors such as language/cultural barriers, lack of access to preventive care, the lack of health insurance ,illegal immigration status, mistrust, and illiteracy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has cited some of the leading causes of illness and death among Hispanics, which include heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries (accidents), stroke, and diabetes. Latinx and Hispanic communities have a hard time communicating with health professionals due to a language or cultural barrier; as a result, they turn to outside sources for help and medication. The survey finds that half of those who have faced these barriers turned to a family member or to another health care provider for assistance. Many hospitals and offices lack trained interpreters and rely on ad hoc interpretation by bilingual staff or even the children of patients. Latinx and Hispanic communities have concerns when it comes to long care services in the United States. Some have concerns about finding nursing homes and assisted-living facilities that will respect their religious or spiritual beliefs, though fewer have the same concern about home health aides. The lack of education creates another barrier for individuals in these communities that are bilingual but can't understand medical terms. According to a 2017 U.S. Census Bureau report, 68.7 percent of Hispanics in comparison to 92.9 percent non-Hispanic whites had a high school diploma. More than one-fourth of Hispanic adults in the United States lack a usual health care provider, and a similar proportion report obtaining no health care information from medical personnel in the past year. Latino adults receive information from an alternative source, such as television and radio, based on a PHC survey. Not only are most Latinos obtaining information from media sources, but a size-able proportion (79 percent) say they are acting on this information. Many Latinos are accustomed to self-treating because most pharmaceuticals are available without prescription in their home countries. Immigrants may face additional obstacles to care, including illegal immigration status (fears of deportation), illiteracy, and a radically different set of health beliefs.