Hispanics live longer than whites or blacks, according to the first-ever life expectancy data for the U.S. Hispanic population, which were released Wednesday.
The research by the National Center for Health Statistics is an important confirmation of the "Hispanic mortality paradox."
On average, Hispanics outlive whites by 2.5 years and blacks by 7.7 years, according to the report. Their life expectancy at birth in 2006 was 80.6 years, compared with 78.1 for whites, 72.9 for blacks and 77.7 years for the total population. Asians are not included in the data.
The report shows that the Hispanic population has higher life expectancy at birth and at almost every age despite a socioeconomic status lower than that of whites.
"Mortality is very correlated with income, education and health care access," says Elizabeth Arias, author of the report. "You would expect the Hispanic population would have higher mortality," in line with the black population.
The Hispanic paradox has been documented for more than two decades, but this is the first time the government has had enough data to issue national numbers. It wasn't until 1997 that every state had a Hispanic category on death certificates.
Researchers are struggling to explain why Hispanics live longer.
"We don't know," says David Hayes-Bautista, director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. "We thought it was a problem in the data, but we can pretty much say this is real."
Potential factors:
*Culture and lifestyle. Support from extended family and lower rates of smoking and drinking. "Latino groups in particular have very strong family and social ties," says Hal Strelnick of the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "People who are very well socially connected do better than people who are isolated."
*Migration. The "healthy migrant effect" argues that healthy people are more likely to emigrate. Hispanics have migrated to the USA in large numbers. Others theorize that when immigrants become ill, they might return home and die there. "I don't think anyone has a great idea," says Carl Haub, a demographer at the Population Reference Bureau. "We might want to see what Hispanics are doing and try to emulate them."
Solving the puzzle may help the nation deal with health care issues because Hispanics use health services less -- they make fewer doctors visits and spend less time in hospitals, Hayes-Bautista says.
"It's clearly something in the Latino culture," he says. "If this was the 'healthy migrant effect,' we would see it in all immigrant groups. It seems to be something in what Latinos do."
Arias says it will take more research to spot differences between U.S.-born Hispanics and immigrants.
Another issue: country of origin. Mortality rates among Cuban Americans may differ from those of Mexicans or Bolivians. About two-thirds of the 48 million Hispanics are of Mexican origin. The National Institutes of Health is launching a study of Latinos to explore differences.
"We will eventually crack it," Hayes-Bautista says.
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