Comorbidity of Arthritis ONCB

Several studies, including Dr. Earlise Ward,

et.al.

, have examined African Americans’ beliefs about mental illness and

attitudes toward seeking mental health services. Their findings support those above, in that African Americans generally

prefer coping on their own.

For the study, her team conducted an exploratory, cross-sectional survey of 272 African

Americans. According to the study, among the group participants, depression was the most common mental illness (without

respect to gender). Both men and women believed they were aware of the symptoms and causal factors of mental illness;

however, their reluctance to seek treatment suggested they were not very open to acknowledging psychological problems,

and were very concerned about the associated stigma.

The Hispanic/Latino American Community

Demographic Statistics

Hispanics/Latinos are the nation’s largest

minority group, representing 16.4% of the

U.S. population. They are a heterogeneous culture with most possessing a common

ancestry in people speaking the Spanish language and/or emigrating from Latin

America. Family-oriented cultural values and poverty are also commonly shared

features among the subgroups.

Ten Hispanic origin subgroups make up 92% of the

U.S. Hispanic population.

Of the 50.7 million Hispanic/Latino Americans in the country, 33 million self-identify as

being of Mexican origin, according to tabulations of the 2010 American Community

Survey (ACS) by the Pew Hispanic Center. Puerto Ricans, the nation’s second largest

Hispanic origin group, make up just 9% of the total Hispanic population in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Subgroups within the Hispanic/Latin American community differ from each other in a variety of ways to include factors that

can influence healthcare disparities. The differences highlighted in this section are examples of a much larger corpus of

ethnic differences. For instance, those of Mexican

origin have the lowest median age, at 25 years, while

others of Cuban origin have the highest median age,

at 40 years. Colombians are the most likely to have

a college degree (32%) while Salvadorans are the

least likely (7%). Ecuadorians have the highest annual

median household income ($50,000) while Dominicans

have the lowest ($34,000). Half of Hondurans do not have health insurance-the highest share among Hispanic origin

groups. By contrast, just 15% of Puerto Ricans do not have health insurance.

Overall, nearly one-third of Hispanic/Latino

Americans (30.7%) lack coverage.

Access and Views on Healthcare within the Hispanic/Latino Communities

There is ample evidence that Hispanic/Latino Americans, especially those of Mexican and Central American origin, face

significant barriers to obtaining health care, particularly where language barriers exist.

Many hospitals and healthcare

offices lack trained interpreters and rely on ad hoc interpretation by family members of the patient, or by bilingual staff

who may not be

certified in medical interpretation. Compounding the language barrier is the issue of false fluency;

when

healthcare professionals mistake the meaning of a Spanish word because of unfamiliarity with cultural or linguistic

intricacies.

There is also cultural mistrust coupled with a predisposition to seek alternative healthcare as a first resort, thus delaying

conventional and important treatment.

Some healing traditions include Santeria in Brazil and Cuba, Espiritismo in

Puerto Rico, and Curanderismo in Mexico and much of Latin America.

Curanderos, traditional healers, distinguish between

“hot” or “cold” illnesses such as:

• Cold conditions

It is important to note that there are several subgroups

within the Hispanic and Latin American community that

differ culturally in many ways.