Spanish-speaking Hispanics 2002
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
In the 2002 survey, there were a total of 298 completed Hispanic interviews, 172 of which were conducted in Spanish. On most health indicators, health outcomes for whites and English-speaking Hispanics were similar. However, when comparing Spanish-speaking Hispanics to whites, or to all other adults in the sample, there were striking differences with regard to health care access, health risks, chronic conditions, quality of life, and preventive health behaviors. The relative youth of the Spanish-speaking sample accounts for some of these differences (e.g., lower chronic disease prevalence), but not all of them. Some of these differences are highlighted below.
Health Care Access:
- Approximately two-thirds (64.0%) of Spanish-speaking adults under age 65 in North Carolina reported that they had no health insurance in 2002, compared to 15 percent of whites.
- Eighty percent of Spanish-speaking adults did not have a personal doctor in 2002, compared to 20 percent of all other adults in the state.
- Spanish-speaking adults were twice as likely not to be able to get medical care when needed than whites (14.8% vs. 6.7%).
Health Risks:
- About 26 percent of North Carolina adults reported that they smoked cigarettes in 2002. Among Hispanics, 18.8 percent of Spanish-speaking adults were smokers and 32.6 percent of English-speaking adults were smokers. Among those who smoked any amount, about half of Hispanics were occasional smokers (non-daily), compared to about 16 percent for all other smokers. Moreover, 62.3 percent of Hispanics had never smoked compared to less than half (48.6%) of whites and all other minorities.
- Over 80 percent (83.2%) of Spanish-speaking adults worked at jobs where smoking was allowed in both public and work areas; this compares to about 26 percent for all other North Carolina adults.
- About 18 percent of Spanish-speaking Hispanics reported binge-drinking (5 or more drinks on one occasion) in the past month compared to 10 percent of all other adults.
- The rate of no leisure time physical activity was much higher among Spanish-speaking Hispanics (62.3%) compared to the rest of the adult population (27.8%). Similarly, a much smaller percentage of Spanish-speaking Hispanics met the recommended level of physical activity.
- About one in ten Hispanic adults reported consuming 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day compared to one in four non-Hispanic adults.
- The risk of HIV was twice as high among Spanish-speaking Hispanics compared to the rest of North Carolina adults (6.6% vs. 3.3% as measured by a question asking about four risky behaviors to get infected with HIV).
- Only three percent of Spanish-speaking Hispanics kept a firearm in or around house, compared to 44 percent of non-Hispanics.
Chronic Conditions:
- Disability prevalence was much lower among Spanish-speaking Hispanics (8.5%) compared to all other North Carolina adults (23.1%).
- The prevalence of diabetes was much lower for Spanish-speaking Hispanics (1.4%) compared to non-Hispanics (7.5%).
- The prevalence of current asthma was much lower among Spanish-speaking Hispanics (1.3%) compared to all others (6.5%).
- The prevalence of doctor-diagnosed arthritis was also much lower among Spanish-speaking Hispanics -- likely due to their young age (4.5% vs. 28.8% for all North Carolina adults).
- The lower prevalence of chronic conditions among Spanish-speaking Hispanics is likely due to their young age.
Quality of Life:
- One-third (34.1%) of Spanish-speaking Hispanics rated their health as fair or poor compared to one-fifth (20.6%) of non-Hispanic adults.
- Only 4.9 percent of Spanish-speaking adults reported that their physical health was not good for at least 8 days in the past 30 days compared to 14 percent of non-Hispanic adults.
- About 20 percent of Spanish-speaking adults, compared to 3.2 percent of white adults, reported that they felt emotionally upset as a result of how they were treated based on race.
- About 10 percent of Spanish-speaking adults, compared to 1.3 percent of white adults, reported that they experienced some physical symptoms as a result of how they were treated based on race.
Preventive Health Behaviors:
- Less than half (43.0%) of Hispanics had a dental visit in the past year compared to almost 70 percent of non-Hispanic adults.
- Only 16 percent of Spanish-speaking Hispanics had a flu shot in the past year compared to one-third of all other North Carolinians.
- Nearly 90 percent of Spanish-speaking Hispanic women reported that they had a Pap smear test within the past 3 years. This rate is slightly higher than the rest of adult females in North Carolina.
Return to 2002 BRFSS Annual Results Table of Contents
