Hispanic health status in Orange County, Florida.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the health status of the Hispanic population of Orange County, Florida.


METHODS
The methodology utilized secondary data for 66 ethnically identified indicators in a comparative framework applied for a 5-year period (1997-2001).


RESULTS
Orange County Hispanics are younger with lower per capita income than their Florida peers, less likely to be White, and much more likely to be of Puerto Rican origin. Relative to the Hispanic populations in the selected peer counties and statewide, Orange County Hispanics have higher age-adjusted death rates for a majority of disease categories and conditions, such as breast, lung, and prostate cancers; chronic liver disease and cirrhosis; diabetes mellitus; pneumonia and influenza; stroke; acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; motor vehicle accidents; and infant, neonatal, and child mortality. Orange County Hispanics did better in comparison to Orange non-Hispanics, with lower age-adjusted death rates for major causes of death such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. However, for many indicators, the 5-year trends for Orange County Hispanics are moving in an unfavorable direction in contrast to the trends for non-Hispanics, which are either stable or improving.


CONCLUSIONS
Comparative assessments of Hispanic populations using secondary data enable the development of a comprehensive health status profile. However, this approach is currently constrained by the limited number of ethnically identified indicators and, especially for Hispanics, problems in the accuracy and consistency of the assignment to racial categories and subsequent reporting.
Studnicki
James
J
Center for Health Outcomes Research, Health Sciences Center and College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 13201 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33612, USA. jstudnic@hsc.usf.edu
Berndt
Donald J
DJ
Luther
Stephen L
SL
Fisher
John W
JW
van Caulil
Karen
K
Brennan
Margaret J
MJ
Martinez
Yolanda G
YG
Clarke
Pete
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D010379:Peer Group; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000208:ethnology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors