Born in the U.S.A.: The Reversal of the Latino Health Paradox

Good health is almost always associated with wealth and education, and yet low-income, newly arrived Latinos with neither of these are generally healthier than whites by a number of measures through a phenomenon known as the “Latino Health Paradox.”

But within 20 years of arrival in the U.S., the health of Latino immigrants begins to decline. Their wealthier and better-educated children continue this downward slide, resulting in many of the disparities that are by now familiar, including higher rates of obesity and diabetes.

For my project, I envision a series of articles, videos and photography that document the decline in health across first-, second- and third-generation Mexican-American families in Orange County. I plan to examine four key areas: obesity/diabetes, birth outcomes and infancy, cancer, and mental health.

Among the issues I would like to examine closely, diet is particularly fascinating, because some experts theorize that if immigrants ate as they did in Mexico -- where they were poorer -- their health would be better.

A similar acculturation occurs when it comes to practices such as breastfeeding, which Mexican immigrants sometimes mistakenly believe is inferior to the more modern-seeming option of formula, according to nurses specializing in prenatal and maternity care.

Other reversals of the Latino health paradox, such as the increase in cancer rates over time (by some estimates as high as 40 percent), are not as easily explained by habits and practices but may result from exposure to environmental pollutants.

I look forward to putting the lessons of the 2013 California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowship to work on my project.

Image by Gary Soup via Flickr