Hispanic Population Statistics Paper

In 1990, obese adults represented less than 15 percent of the U.S. Population but by 2010, the obesity crisis had hit an unprecedented high. Thirty-six “states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher, and 12 of those had obesity rates of 30 percent or higher” (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2015, para. 1). Today, obesity has fast become a national health crisis, a crisis of vacated immunity when considering approximately two out of three adults are either overweight or obese. Although African Americans have the highest-age-adjusted rates of obesity for reasons to follow, this paper will focus on obesity and its impact on the Hispanic population.
Hispanic Population Statistics
Currently, national data suggest 78.6 percent of Hispanic males are either overweight or obese, followed by Hispanic females at 77.2 percent. (Kit, Ogden, Flegal, & Carroll, 2014). Further broken down, Hispanics between the ages of 40 to 59 bear the most significant burden of obesity (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2015). To that end, as a resident of Phoenix, AZ, interest was sparked regarding …show more content…
1). The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (2012) add to this list, “high blood pressure, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (excess fat and inflammation in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol), and osteoarthritis (a health problem causing pain, swelling, and stiffness in one or more joints)” (p. 1). Moreover, between 2008 and 2012, the prevalence of diabetes among Hispanics rose from 18.7 to 22.7, which correlates with rising rates of obesity during this same period (Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, 2015). Rates of diagnosed diabetes for this ethnic group are nearly double that of non-Hispanic