Description of the population
Hispanic and Latinos population is comprised of Spanish speaking society living mostly in South America. Average number of population is about 55, 3 million people, which is almost 17% of the total population in the United States. (US census bureau) The list of countries that considered as Hispanic or Latinos group consists of: Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The majority of Hispanic ethnic group takes the roots from Mexican origin and the minority from other countries listed above. Hispanics and Latinos settled down at the present United States territory since 16th century. There is no one definite feature for Hispanic and Latinos population as the nation varies depending on country and region, the most common for are Spanish language and Spanish culture. According to the UNESCO data research Hispanic population has contributed significant part to the world cultural heritage.
Description of the health issue
Cultural health disparity became one of the most discussed topics among health researches, as reason to analyze the causes of health issues as well as to find out the major causes for the diseases in order to contribute for the development of the medical treatment or intervention aimed to mitigate risks of negative health issues. According to the research, Hispanic and Latinos compared to Non-Hispanic Whites are more likely to get sick, suffer or have troubles with their health. There are several common and prevalent health disparities such as: asthma, tuberculosis, liver disease, obesity, cervical cancer, HIV and diabetes. The health issue that is going to be analyzed in this research proposal is – diabetes. The reason to choose this health problem to research and propose an intervention is that the rate of diabetes suffered people of Hispanic and Latinos cultural unit is one of the highest; however, at the same time there can be a great intervention to be proposed. Diabetes mellitus mostly known as diabetes, referred to a group of metabolic diseases accompanied with high blood sugar level for a certain period. The main problem of diabetes is not sufficient amount of insulin produced or wrong reaction of the cells of the body to the insulin. There can different complications occur such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic kidney failure, foot ulcers or problem with eyes. Medicine identifies three types of diabetes: 1DM, 2DM, Gestational diabetes. The Type 1 DM is a result of failure to produce enough amount of insulin, scientists still can’t identify the right cause for this disease. Type 2 DM differs in a way that cells start to respond wrong to the insulin. Usually the cause for this type of disease is overweight and absence of any physical exercise. The third and serious form is Gestational diabetes that occurs when pregnant women without a previous history of diabetes develop high blood-sugar levels. (World Health Organization)
Related statistics
The study on health disparity for the Hispanic and Latinos population represents that almost 65% of people of this nation suffer from diabetes, 55% can have end stage renal disease and 45% even die from diabetes. (Families USA) The number of people that under the health risk is very high and main problem that it is hard to prevent and control, as the Hispanic population is the second largest in the United States only. The table below describes the statistical information on frequencies of disease and conditions that influence considering also economic and social aspects of life in the United States in 2012. (Rothwell, Madans)
Description of Intervention proposed
The health promotion intervention that potentially can decrease the health disparity includes several stages. Firstly, the society should understand that nation’s health is a social responsibility; therefore, I would start from a great informational campaign, to make people aware of the numbers, possible causes and behavioral education that will help to avoid the risk of being sick. Parents should inform their children about possible risks, the same should be in schools and kindergartens. Secondly, it is widely known that it is easier to prevent rather to cure the illness; therefore, educational institutions should start to work on popularization healthy lifestyle, sports, activities and provide healthy dining. The third point of the intervention program is providing governmental support to research institutes in order to find real causes of diabetes, especially type 1DM and development of proper treatment. The main purpose of the intervention program is to prevent diabetes, find out causes and develop treatment. Mass media, social media and educational programs can be involved greatly in spreading the message of healthy eating and popularization of sports. Government, private institutions, volunteers should cooperate in organizing free of charge training courses, gym session or marathons to involve more people into sports. As a social support for population with low income, there can be organized food markets with special prices. The last and the main step in resolving the problem of health disparity among Hispanic and Latinos is improving health care system in those countries of the ethnic group. The healthcare system should be affordable, accessible and high quality.
Why this intervention the best route
The reason to consider proposed intervention program as the best is the realistic opportunity to make it work. Psychology is a very strong tool to influence people’s behavior and habits, in connection to that informational campaign can reflect, influence and change millions of minds. Additionally, educational, social, economic and health care systems improvement can definitely bring positive change and minimize the rate of suffering people.
Recommendations to government for policy changes
First of all, I consider that responsible governmental representatives should be fully involved in controlling the health care system improvement process. Secondly, provide proper financing for hospitals, research institutions and free medical support for sick people with low income.
Recommendations to individuals
In order to solve the problem of health disparity, people of Hispanic and Latinos ethnic group should also consider the fact that every case is very individual and each person can make a positive contribution himself to reduce the risk of disease or to cure it. I would highly recommend to each individual to take care of his health in a proper manner that includes yearly full body check, healthy dining, sports, activities, nutrition and diet.
Works cited
US Census Bureau 2014 American Community Survey B03001 1-Year Estimates HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY SPECIFIC ORIGIN. Number of people of Hispanic and Latino Origin by specific origin (except people of Brazilian origin). October 18th, 2015. Web. April 3rd, 2016.
Diabetes Fact sheet N°312. World Health Organization. October 2013. Web. April 3d , 2016.
Latino health disparities compared to Non-Hispanic Whites. Families USA. July 2014. Web. April 3d , 2016.
Charles J. Rothwell, Jennifer H. Madans. Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2012. Vital and Health statistics. February 2014. Web. April 2nd , 2016.
