Social determinants of health (SDOH) are conditions in the places where people live, learn, work and play that affect their quality of life, health risks and medical outcomes. They affect an individual’s ability to get the health care they need and maintain good health. For example, if you don’t have access to a grocery store with healthy food, you are less likely to have good nutrition. That can raise your risk for health conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, and it can even lower your life expectancy compared with those who do have access to healthy foods.

Because of SDOH and genetics, several health issues are more prevalent in Hispanic people than the general population in the U.S.:

• Obesity. Hispanic Americans are more likely to be obese than non-Hispanic white Americans. This is especially important because obesity can lead to other health challenges, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease (heart attacks and strokes) and even increased risk of developing certain cancers.
• Diabetes. About 40% of adults in the United States are expected to develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime. However, more than 50% of Hispanic people are expected to someday be diagnosed with it.
• Hispanic people also have higher rates of kidney failure caused by diabetes, as well as diabetes-related vision loss and blindness.
• Hypertension (high blood pressure). Almost 1 in 4 Hispanic people has high blood pressure, which can be a precursor for cardiovascular disease (heart attack, peripheral arterial disease, stroke), aortic aneurysms (dilated blood vessel, especially if smoking), chronic kidney disease and/or heart failure.
• Chronic kidney disease. Hispanic people are 33% more likely to receive a kidney failure diagnosis than other Americans.
• Chronic liver disease. This is a leading cause of death among Hispanic people. Although the exact cause is unknown, it can be the result of conditions such an alcohol use disorder, obesity, fatty liver disease from diabetes and exposure to hepatitis B and C viruses.

What Does This Mean?

Managing lifestyle factors can help reduce your risk of many of these chronic diseases. This means:

• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Exercising for at least 150 minutes per week
• Eating a healthy diet, for example, the DASH diet for high blood pressure or Mediterranean diet
• Not smoking cigarettes
• Limiting or eliminating alcohol consumption

If you are Hispanic and need medical care, you may find that a culturally competent care program, where care is available to you in your first language and with your culture in mind, can best serve you.

Consult your primary care clinician to better understand how your ethnicity impacts your health risks and what preventive measures are best for you.

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