Hispanics are an ethnic group that is disproportionately affected by obesity. The health disparity requires the immediate attention of the members of the health community because the condition is associated with a wide range of comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer (Agne, Daubert, Munoz, Scarinci, & Cherrington, 2013). Multiple sources of the investigation point to the fact that the prevalence of obesity is exceptionally high for Hispanics—38.4 percent (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2014). The prevalence levels for non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, and non-Hispanic Asians are 26.2 percent, 46 percent, and 19 percent, respectively (Ogden et al., 2014). The obesity epidemic can be attributed to the following causes: acculturation, ineffective weight-management efforts, cultural acceptance, and limited access to healthy foods.
To address the issue, it is important to ensure that Hispanics have the skills necessary to improve their current health status. To this end, healthcare professionals should take creative approaches to deliver culturally-tailored health messages through various communication channels. Currently, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health allocates resources towards studying the health disparity (“Obesity,” n.d.). However, to reduce the health disparity, it is also necessary to undertake a set of comprehensive political actions. Lack of access to affordable foods is arguably the most important aspect of the issue that can be ameliorated with the help of subsidies. Furthermore, language and cultural barriers to healthy food choices can be eliminated by health campaigns. Finally, Hispanics that do not maintain a healthy energy balance, which is an important contributing factor in obesity, should be provided with access to fitness courses. By taking these and other actions, it is possible to ensure that the fastest-growing minority group in the country is not disproportionately affected by the condition.
References
Agne, A. A., Daubert, R., Munoz, M. L., Scarinci, I., & Cherrington, A. L. (2013). The cultural context of obesity: Exploring perceptions of obesity and weight loss among Latina immigrants. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 14(6), 1063-1070.
Obesity and Hispanic Americans. (n.d.).
Ogden, C., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., & Flegal, K. M. (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. JAMA, 311(8), 806-814.