Why Cardiovascular Disease Has Been Affecting Hispanics
Cardiovascular disease refers to any problem with the heart or blood vessels. At the same time, as we all know, any disease has its respective causes. In other words, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease depends on various factors, including genetics, behavior, psychosocial factors, the existence of comorbidities, early detection, and adherence to therapeutic regimens. For instance, the chances of being sick rise as we get older, and men tend to be more susceptible than women to most diseases. In this paper, I am going to provide reasonable and comprehensive arguments for why Hispanics are especially vulnerable to cardiovascular disease. In particular, pre-existing conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension as well as disparities in the healthcare system are contributing factors. At the same time, we need to realize the existence of this issue for efficient response as all people have a right to adequate health care for proper well-being regardless of their ethnicity.
Impact of the Cardiovascular Disease on Underserved Hispanics
Keeping healthy has not been easy on our Hispanic relatives, and I can attest to that as a Mexican-American. Due to the lack of representation of Hispanics among medical personnel and the resulting miscommunication with patients, I have seen my parents’ struggles due to their immigration status. My parents had trouble communicating with doctors and were afraid to get checks for fear of being deported because of their ethnicity and history of discrimination. My parents have repeatedly postponed scheduling visits for testing, and I am concerned that their health may deteriorate. Undocumented families have fewer medical options until a national healthcare system does not discriminate based on a person’s immigration status. Therefore, unrecorded Hispanics are forced to rely on the advice of their close relatives when making medical decisions. My mother and father’s mental and physical health have declined directly, and they distrust the medical community.
In the present day, the unemployment rate among Hispanics is higher in comparison with non-Hispanic whites. Hispanic workers are overrepresented in unskilled, high-risk occupations such as construction, household maintenance and repair, nondurable manufacturing, and personal and household service provision (Lightfoot et al., 2017). At the same time, obesity, high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, and high cholesterol in pregnant women, as well as emotional trauma and toxicants, are all risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Recent research reveals that Hispanics have a greater prevalence of all of these. Hispanic Americans’ health results vary for various reasons, some of which are related to social and economic factors. This is especially true for recent Hispanic immigrants who face additional challenges, such as language and cultural barriers and higher poverty levels. Discriminatory behaviors within racial and ethnic minority societies, in addition to the overall quality of healthcare, can produce psychological tension that adds to inequalities in care that can manifest in various ways (Velasco-Mondragon et al., 2016). Successful patient-provider communication is hampered by ideological considerations, as has been shown.
As a result of this, many people of color, like myself, are misinformed or dissatisfied with the care we receive regarding our cardiovascular health. The dispersion of primary care physicians has been connected to health disparities. Because of our lack of insurance, many service providers avoid operating in highly segregated regions where inhabitants have minimal financial resources. That is why it is sometimes a longer trek for those who reside in locations with a high concentration of minority communities to get to a primary care clinic. However, the issue of Hispanics’ healthcare-related issues that lead to cardiovascular disease should be addressed as all people deserve quality and affordable care for general well-being.
Arguments Based on Evidence
At the same time, regardless of multiple discussions related to the necessity of changes about discrimination in health care, we are not doing enough for Hispanics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 44.8% of them are obese (Velasco-Mondragon et al., 2016). Obesity is associated with an increase in blood pressure, a decrease in levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, and an increase in levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (Gomez et al., 2022). It is estimated that 17% of adult Hispanics have type 2 diabetes, but up to 50% are unaware of their condition (Gomez et al., 2022). Diabetes, if left untreated, can lead to several serious complications, including heart disease.
At the same time, Hispanics are ignored as their status in various spheres of life that may impact health and the accessibility of health care remains unchanged. Hispanics remain less educated in comparison with other ethnicities, more than 25% of them live below the poverty level, and those who work have low-social-position and high-risk occupations (Rodriguez et al., 2014). Being unaware of cardiovascular disease prevention and having no opportunity to receive medical assistance due to the absence of insurance, high costs, and the absence of culturally competent specialists, Hispanics put themselves at even greater risk
Call for Action
To improve the current state of affairs, we should have our medical professionals raise awareness among the Hispanic community and advocate for more funding of services like improved nutrition and dental care. It is important to get regular screenings so that we can keep our bodies in tip-top shape (Velasco-Mondragon et al., 2016). By working together in this way, we can resolve this medical dispute peacefully. Patients must be provided with the same opportunities as their non-Hispanic counterparts to make positive changes in their lives, such as access to inexpensive healthcare and dietary counseling. Therefore, it is crucial to undertake treatments that address these concerns to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease among Hispanics in the United States.
References
Gomez, S., Blumer, V., & Rodriguez, F. (2022). Unique cardiovascular disease risk factors in Hispanic individuals. Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports, 16(7), 53–61. Web.
Lightfoot, A. F., Thatcher, K., Simán, F. M., Eng, E., Merino, Y., Thomas, T., Coyne-Beasley, T., & Chapman, M. V. (2017). “What I wish my doctor knew about my life”: Using photovoice with immigrant Latino adolescents to explore barriers to healthcare. Qualitative Social Work, 18(1), 60–80. Web.
Rodriguez, C. J., Allison, M., Daviglus, M. L., Isasi, C. R., Keller, C., Leira, E. C., Palaniappan, L., Piña, I. L., Ramirez, S. M., Rodriguez, B., & Sims, M. (2014). Status of cardiovascular disease and stroke in Hispanics/Latinos in the United States. Circulation, 130(7), 593–625. Web.
Velasco-Mondragon, E., Jimenez, A., Palladino-Davis, A. G., Davis, D., & Escamilla-Cejudo, J. A. (2016). Hispanic health in the USA: A scoping review of the literature. Public Health Reviews, 37(1). Web.