Hispanic health In Middle Georgia, Part 1

In this column and one Saturday, we’ll be sharing the results of our survey on Hispanic health issues and concerns in Macon.

Hispanics/Latinos represent nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population and are the largest and fastest growing racial/ethnic minority population. The number of Hispanics in Georgia nearly doubled from 2000-2010, increasing 96 percent, from 435,444 to 853,906, and they now account for about 10 percent of the state’s residents, according to the U.S. census. Although the Hispanic population in Bibb County is relatively small, representing just 3.2 percent of 150,000 residents, its growth has exceeded the state’s rate, increasing by 146 percent between 2000 and 2014.

Little is known about the health concerns and issues among this growing population, especially at the local level. It is important from both a public health and human rights perspective to understand the concerns and situations of various communities in order to promote health equity and best ensure that everyone has a chance at the best life possible. Indeed, recognizing emerging health issues, reducing avoidable health disparities and promoting health equity are guiding priorities of public health departments everywhere. However, accurate data, and in some instances just data, are required to do so and to monitor trends and avoid potential public health crises.

Last spring, Jose Pino, associate professor of Spanish at Mercer, and I asked 125 Hispanic adults living in Macon to complete a health survey. We recruited these participants from local churches, various social service agencies and ministries, a couple of restaurants and a grocery store. Ours is a sample based on convenience to us researchers, not a random sample of all Hispanics living in Macon, and so we must be a bit cautious in generalizing our findings to all Hispanics in Macon. Nonetheless, our survey is a starting point, one needed to further our understanding of the issues and challenges these residents face.

The average age of our participants was about 40, and 60 percent were female. The average time they reported being in the U.S. was about 14 years, so many of our respondents probably immigrated to the U.S. in their early 20s. Only 18 percent of the participants reported having health insurance. Most also described themselves as having less than a high school education and not being able to speak English well or at all. The inability to speak English well wasn’t particularly surprising. What did surprise us, though, was the number of participants who were illiterate in Spanish. Organizations and agencies need to recognize that simply distributing informational materials in Spanish may not solve any communications gaps. Literacy in any language shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Most of the participants in our survey rated their health as “normal.” A little more variability was evident among women, in that they were more likely to report being in “very good” or “poor” health. Only 8 percent of the participants reported being in “poor” health and about 20 percent reported being unsure about their current health status. About 10 percent to 20 percent of the participants reported having at least one of the following: high blood pressure, mental/emotional illness, diabetes or an eating disorder. Asthma, developmental problems/learning disabilities (including autism), birth defects and genetic disorders were rare among our sample.

Diabetes and obesity were the major health problems affecting the Hispanic community. Each of these problems was mentioned by over 60 percent of the participants. Dental hygiene, cancer, heart disease and teen pregnancy followed and were mentioned by at least 20 percent of the participants. The health problems were mentioned by roughly similar percentages by gender.

We look forward to presenting more of our findings Saturday.

This story was originally published April 26, 2017 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Hispanic health In Middle Georgia, Part 1."