Case Study 2 Outline: Obesity in Latinos
1. Conceptual model 2. Abstract
The obese and/or overweight (O/O) rates is higher for Latino adults and children compared to Whites in the US. Studies indicate that “nearly one in three children will be Latino by 2030” (The State of Obesity (TSO)). Six disparities contribute to higher obesity rates in Latinos: lack of health education, low SES, food deserts, safe access to neighborhood parks, food insecurity, and acculturation. We propose that an ordinance in Los Angeles (LA) be implemented that will prohibit fast food restaurants (FFRs) and mobile vendors (MVs) from running within a certain mile radius from predominantly Latino PreK-12 schools or other child-designated sites (i.e. parks, child care
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Introduction
Latino children have higher obesity rates compared to Caucasian children; “38.9 percent of Latino children are [O/O] compared with 28.5 percent of White children” (TSO). The same studies shows that young Latino children have higher O/O rates compared to White children – 16.7% compared with 3.5% in the 2-5 age group; 26.1% compared to 13.1% in the 6-11 age group (TSO).
Five social determinants of health (SDH) contribute to this issue. First involves the lack of health education Latinos have about healthy foods and the risk factors that come with childhood obesity. The SES of Latinos contributes to food insecurity due to living in food deserts “where unhealthy options are…viewed as cheaper” (TSO). Acculturation affects the cultural habits Latino families have as they begin doing unhealthy “habits rooted in U.S. culture” (CDCB). Safe access to a neighborhood park impedes Latino families from visiting them; hence, “poor choices are made” such as spending more time watching TV (TSO).
4. Methods
We propose that a city ordinance in LA be implemented that will prohibit FFRs or MVs from running business a certain mile radius within predominantly Latino school zones or other child-designated zones. FFRs already located near any school will not be
In her review of Supersizing Urban America by Chin Jou, titled “'Supersizing Urban America': How U.S. Policies Encouraged Fast Food To Spread”, Tove Danovich discusses the arching topic of national policy and the effect it had with Americans waistbands. Danovich reaches the conclusion the source of the abundance of fast food in underdeveloped communities can be traced back to the 1960s race riots and the formation of the Small Business Association. I, on the other hand, hypothesize it can be trailed back to the end of WWII and the G.I. Bill. In my analysis of her essay, I conclude the government's response to racial inequality lead to the rise of fast food franchises and obesity in low income neighborhoods.
• Poverty: Financial instability will lead these families to work constantly, which means that they have less time to spend with their children. One aspect that proved beneficial to their health was the strong family and community bonds that they bring with them. Their children will be deprived of these bonds that will lead them to be at increased risk for psychiatric disorders. • Discrimination: Discrimination is detrimental to health due to the chronic stress that it put on the body which leads to negative outcomes. he idea is similar in the Latino population.
Community Resources and Gaps There are multiple gaps that the Hispanic population in the chosen community is facing when it comes to their health. Some few that will be discussed may include dietary pattern and food availability, physical activities, lack of recreational environment and level of education. According to a study conducted by Davis in 2013, dietary pattern of low income population among Hispanic adult with diabetes were measured on their food base rather than nutrient based. The participants were 235 Hispanic adult living in the Southeast Bronx to test between their demographic variables and dietary patterns score by using food frequency questionnaire.
The U.S. population is growing older as the individuals from the baby boom enters old age and retirement. As a result, the labor force will increasingly depend upon immigrants and their children to replace current workers and fill new jobs. Food deserts can defined as parts of the country where fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthy whole foods, are hard to come by, usually found in poverty-stricken areas. This is because of a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers. This has become a big problem because while food deserts are often short on whole food providers, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, instead, they have numerous local small mini-marts that provide a lot of processed, sugary, and fatty foods
It is not that Latina women have higher fertility rates, but rather that the Latino population has a younger age structure in which there are five times more children under 15 years old than persons 65 and older while among the white population the share of children and elderly is equal (Saenz,
The population health determinant is an ongoing discussion with the United States health care system. According to Knickman & Kovner (2015) social determinant of health (SDOH) are the “circumstances in which people are born, grow up, live, work and age, and the system in place to deal with illness” (Knickman & Kovner, 2015, p. 80). The peer-reviewed article I chose is a social determinant of health related to obesity. The ability to understand the realm of population health depends on understanding the environmental connections related to biological, behavioral, physical, access, and social determinant (Knickman & Kovner, 2015).
Over the past several decades, the racial and ethnic creation of the U.S. population has changed particularly. Minorities are expanding their vicinity in the United States and will keep on doing as such for years to come. The Latino population is driving these changes. While today one of each eight inhabitants of the United States is Latino, it is anticipated that Latinos could represent one of each five occupants. Immigration from Latin America and the attendant growth of the nation 's Hispanic or Latino population are two of the most important and controversial developments in the recent history of the United States.
Having an easier access to a fast food restaurant than a whole foods market can cause many health problems. This could be one of the main reasons as to why minorities have more health problems such as: obesity, cholesterol, diabetes and many more. However, community gardens are increasing in order for families to have access to greener and fresher foods. During the summer of 2015, I participated in a program called One Summer Chicago.
“In 2014, African-Americans were more than twice as likely to be unemployed (11%) as their, non-Hispanic counterparts (5%).”(Feeding). This Statistic shows that African Americans are likely to be less employed which means that they cant support themselves and their families which then leads to hunger. The hunger isn 't limited to just African Americans but, Latinos as well. Similarly to African Americans, Latinos are more than twice as likely to be food insecure than white, non-Hispanic
Also comparing to the overall population of their health, the older Hispanic adults face the highest levels economic insecurity causing them to suffer from lack of food, poor health and even inadequate or
Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders Across Latino Subgroups in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 97(1), 68-75. doi:10.2105/ajph.2006.087205 González, H. M., Tarraf, W., West, B. T., Croghan, T. W., Bowen, M. E., Cao, Z., & Alegría, M. (2009). Antidepressant use in a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling US Latinos with and without depressive and anxiety disorders. Depression and Anxiety, 26(7), 674-681. doi:10.1002/da.20561 Potochnick, S. R., & Perreira, K. M. (2010).
During my two interviews my with my two people of the Hispanic culture I came to find they were both had a good level of health literacy from a quick glance. It’s interesting I came to this conclusion fast after asking them each their questions, because I barely know these two on a personal level. Raul I met last year at comicpalooza, where we bonded over love over television and movies and came in contact since, mostly having conversations about show/movies; but never had conversations on anything like this level. Francis I met over swim class this fall at UH recreation center, so I came to the conclusion to pick two people I didn’t really know to ask these questions for this paper.
The rising health problems in the United States of America are caused by poor nutrition, people who are sedentary, the lack of healthcare prevention, and many more. As reported on the Tikkun website, “Of the many systems in our world today that need to be reimagined, none is more important for our future than our food system” (1). The lack of our food system is one of the many factors that has led the United States to its uprising dilemmas; one of the many factors are the food deserts across the U.S. Food deserts are geographic areas where access to affordable healthy and nutritious food are limited, or impossible to purchase, by residents in the area. Food deserts are prone to low-income areas that can’t afford transportation, and due to the lack of grocery stores and supermarkets that sells fresh produce and healthy food within convenient distance to resident’s homes, there is a difficulty in obtaining healthy food options which leads to countless health issues. According to the Diabetes Forecast website, “About 18.3 million Americans live in low-income areas and are far from a supermarket” (1).
According to the CDC Hispanics of Mexican origin make up approximately 17 percent of the population in the United States. They are the one of the largest cultural populations in U.S. has risen dramatically over last four decades. There are a variety of reason that lead to health disparities for the Hispanic community these reasons then lead to the individuals not obtaining healthcare. First, it was reported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2012 that 29.1 percent of the Hispanic do not have health insurance. This usually prevents the majority of Hispanic people from receiving health care.
Research statistics prove that today’s children and adolescents are, in fact, “fatter” and less healthy than previous generations. Obesity is measured by body mass index (BMI). A child with a BMI at or above the 95th percentile is considered to be obese. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (2014), nearly 17% of children aged 2-19 were obese in 2012, a 12% increase over the course of forty years. Physicians, parents, and educators alike are equally concerned about this frightening rise in childhood obesity.