Hispanic immigrants’ health declines

WASHINGTON – Millions of Hispanics come to America looking for jobs and education, but remaining here seems to be bad for their health.

The longer Hispanics are here, the more likely they are to become obese and to develop diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. And Hispanics born here have even higher rates of those illnesses, a new government report shows.

The analysis of immigrants’ health by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention follows a report calling for more educational programs for Hispanics, who are expected to increase to nearly one-fourth of the country’s population in coming years.

“Failure to close Hispanics’ education and language gap risks compromising their ability to both contribute to and share in national prosperity,” cautions the study by the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences.

The CDC report found that 22.0 percent of Hispanics who have been in the country five years or more are obese, compared with 16.1 percent who have been here for less than five years.

High blood pressure climbs from 13.4 percent for newer arrivals to 19.8 percent for those here longer. As they stay longer than five years, diabetes rates rise from 6.9 percent to 7.5 percent and heart disease increases from 3.5 percent to 7.4 percent.

And Hispanic immigrants are among those least likely to have health insurance.

Among Hispanics born in this country, 29.8 percent are obese, 24.5 percent report high blood pressure, 10.8 percent are diabetic and 7.6 percent have heart disease.

Among the native-born U.S. population overall, 22.9 percent are obese, 24.3 percent have high blood pressure, 6.1 percent are diabetic and 7.6 percent have heart disease.

The one positive note, smoking declines from 15.3 percent to 13.8 percent among Hispanics here more than five years. Some 20.1 percent of U.S.-born Hispanics smoke, as do 24.0 percent of the overall population.