Posted on 10/25/2010 10:54:40 AM PDT by neverdem
The first-ever national study of Latino life expectancy reveals that Latinos in the United States live 2.5 years longer than their white counterparts -- a poor-in-wealth, rich-in-health paradox that mystifies doctors.
A Latino baby in the U.S. will live to the average age of 80.6 years, compared with 78.1 years for a white baby, according to the new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, released Wednesday.
"This is surprising because of low social status," said Elizabeth Arias, of the CDC. Based on rates of poverty, education and access to care -- factors long known to be linked to poor health -- Latinos should have shorter lives, she said.
There is even a wider gap between Latinos and blacks, who have a life expectancy of 72.9 years. Asians were not included in the study.
The so-called "Latino Paradox" was first noted in small studies in the 1970s by researchers looking at death rates in California and Texas. But many others have long called the data wrong or anomalous.
The new study ends the dispute, by correcting for previous errors in its vast analysis of more reliable data from the official National Center for Health Statistics. This long-awaited proof means that scientists can now start solving the mystery.
The phenomenon could have major significance for California -- where, since late 2001, more than 50 percent of the babies born have been Latino. When these babies reach adulthood, they will, by sheer force of numbers, influence the health, wellness and perhaps medical economics of the Golden State.
"Something in the Latino culture seems...,"
--snip--
The full report is available at www.cdc.gov/nchs.
--snip--
Life expectancy at birth
Average U.S. population: 77.7 years in 2006
Latino population: 80.6 years
White population: 78.1 years
Black population: 72.9 years
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Faith and Family are core values.
beans... beans...
good for the heart...
***********
Humor only plz...
(Couldn't resist---)
If I didn’t have to pay for my visits, I might visit the doctor more often too.
“But many others have long called the data wrong or anomalous.”
I would like to see a study of the health problems and costs of various “Latino” sub groups. I bet that the health statitistics of Mexican immigrants with less than 12 years education (the majority of the illegal population) and their children are very bad. I know people in the health business near the border. Diabetes is very common amongst Mexicans along with obesity and hypertension... all of which lead to high cost skilled nursing facilities.
Malcolm Gladwell wrote about the long living Italians in Roseto PA. The incredible longevity ostensibly stems from family and community living. (Lack of heart disease) It has a positive effect on health. Could be the same phenomena with Hispanics that share that trait.
I wouldn’t expect anything different. Every time I’m in the hospital E.R., it is packed with Latinos getting their free primary care. They will outlive those of us who foot the bill. Then what?
Faith, family, and living off the largess of the idiot white people who pay for their support does seem to be a core value for between twenty and thirty million of them.
It is a strange reflection of faith though. Perhaps you’re referencing the faith that White people will continue to bend over.
Olive oil and red wine can’t hurt, either.
;-)
The Japanese, of course, have the longevity records!
The middle class has to pay for their own health care and thus get less of it.
according to a friend who lives in Vegas, at least 40% of the Latinos look like Asians and speak with different accents than Latinos... yet call themselves Mexican...
Note: When I took statistics there was a high correlation between the number of eyeglasses sold and auto accidents. i.e., the were both increasing annually. However stopping the sale of eyeglasses would not reduce the number of auto accidents because there is no causative relationship.
You cannot prove anything with statistics.
Natural selection through centuries of abject poverty and hardship has resulted in physically strong, long-lived people. Give the group 50 years on the American diet, absence of parasites and the resultant obesity*, soft living, stress, and auto accidents, and they will crap out just like the rest of us. These figures don't include the "drive-bys," either!
*drop by the local hi scrool and check out the enormous "anchor babies."
For the Latino Americanos, that's lard and tequila/Colt 45. Unless you are counting the French and Italians as Latinos, too. Which along with Spaniards, Portuguese, and the odd Belgian, they are.
I looked at the source study, never wanting to rely on the SJM for anything.
I wish they would have analyzed cause of death. My guess is that this cohort is not subjected to a variety of cancers that others are. I doubt if lifestyle, diet or environment has anything to do with it.
It could just be that they are actually dead.
They recently found in Japan that many supposed centenarians were actually already dead. The families just never reported them so they could keep collecting bene’s from the gov’t.
Always wondered how Japan had long life expectancy when a third of the men smoke.
Now I know.
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