Diabetes in the Latino Community

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Introduction
Diabetes is a prevalent health disparity among the Latino population. Diabetes is listed as the fifth leading cause of death among the Latino population in the website for Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, in 2009. According to McBean, “the 2001 prevalence among Hispanics was significantly higher than among blacks.” (2317) In other words among the Hispanic or Latino community, there is a higher occurrence of diabetes as compared to other racial/ethnic groups such as Blacks and Native Americans. The prevalence of diabetes among Latinos is attributed to the social determinants of health such as low socioeconomic status and level of education. Further, this becomes an important public health issue when it costs the United States $174 billion in both direct and indirect costs, based on the 2007 The National Diabetes Fact Sheet released by the CDC. In turn, medical expenses are twice as high for a patient that has diabetes as opposed to one without. Finally, this high cost becomes another barrier to receiving care for Latinos when some are in the low socioeconomic status.
In this study, past literature and current statistics will provide an explanation for the diabetes health disparity epidemic among the Latino community. There will be another aspect of this disparity in terms of the role of acculturation on Latinos and how this impact the rate one acquires diabetes. Acculturation is the beginning stages of assimilation, rather the way one integrates into the dominant culture. In the case of Latinos, it is adjusting to the American culture. Further, the role of acculturation and cultural lifestyle will be analyzed to validate its role in the high prevalence among the Latino community. After triggers and accu...

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