Adult Mortality Differentials among Hispanic Subgroups and Non-Hispanic Whites

• Published in: Social science quarterly 2000-03, Vol.81 (1), p.459-476
• Main Authors: Hummer, Robert A., Rogers, Richard G., Amir, Sarit H., Forbes, Douglas, Frisbie, W. Parker
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Age; Causes of death; Comparative analysis; Comparative studies; Cuban Americans; Death; Demography; Ethnic groups; Ethnicity; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic or Latino - classification; Hispanic or Latino - ethnology; Hispanic or Latino - history; Hispanic or Latino - statistics & numerical data; Hispanic people; Hispanics; History, 20th Century; Humans; Immigrants; Mexican Americans; Mortality; Mortality (adult); Mortality - trends; Mortality and race; Mortality rate; Mortality Rates; Patient outcomes; Predation; Predisposing factors; Puerto Rican Americans; Racial Differences; Risk; Socioeconomics; Statistics; Subgroups; The Health Issues; U.S.A; United States; United States - epidemiology; United States - ethnology; USA; White - classification; White - ethnology; White - history; White - statistics & numerical data; White people; Whites
• ISSN: 0038-4941; 1540-6237

Objective. The purpose of this paper is to explore the adult mortality experience of Hispanic subgroups in a comparative context with non-Hispanic whites (Anglos) in the most comprehensive manner to date. Methods. Using the National Health Interview Survey-Multiple Cause of Death linked data set for 1986 through 1995, we compare the mortality risks of Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, Central/South Americans, and Other Hispanics with those of Anglos. Cox proportional hazards models are used to estimate the gross and net associations of ethnicity with overall, sex-specific, age-specific, and cause-specific mortality. Results. We find moderate overall differences across the Hispanic subgroups, with Puerto Ricans demonstrating the highest overall mortality compared with that of Anglos and Central/South Americans showing the lowest. There are age, sex, and cause-of-death mortality differences between the Hispanic groups and non-Hispanic whites. Most noteworthy are the elevated risks of young-adult mortality among most Hispanic subgroups vis-à-vis Anglos, and the lower risks of circulatory disease and cancer mortality exhibited by most Hispanic subgroups compared to Anglos. Conclusions. With a few notable exceptions, controlling for the complete set of mortality risk factors yields lower overall, sex-specific, age-specific, and cause-specific mortality for the Hispanic subgroups compared with that of non-Hispanic whites. Thus, the epidemiologie paradox—the combination of a high-risk sociodemographic profile and favorable mortality outcomes—applies to all Hispanic adult subgroups, although it is most striking among Mexican Americans.