title: Population trends and late-life disability in Hispanics from the Midwest.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the growth of the Hispanic population in the Midwest states of the United States, to present disability levels in older Mexican and non-Mexican-origin Midwest Hispanics by place of birth and poverty status, and compare disability levels among older Midwest Hispanics with those among Southwest Hispanics as well as non-Hispanics Whites and African Americans in each region.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population data come from decennial U.S. Census Bureau surveys. Disability data for adults ≥ 50 years old come from the 2008 American Community Survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Hispanic population in the Midwest has tripled since 1980 and now constitutes 6.6% of the entire Midwest population. Older Midwest Hispanics are somewhat younger, have a higher male-female ratio, and are more likely to be born outside the continental United States than Southwest Hispanics. In the Midwest, foreign-born Mexican American men report the lowest disability levels. Foreign-born Hispanic women of non-Mexican origin report the highest disability levels. Overall, older Hispanics have intermediate disability levels relative to non-Hispanic Whites and African Americans. Midwest Hispanics report less disability than Southwest Hispanics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is substantial heterogeneity in late-life disability among Midwest Hispanics, which may be related to place of birth and of origin. Future research is needed to examine age at immigration and health selection as potential reasons for low disability levels among foreign-born Mexican American men.
authors.affiliation: Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA. cmendes@umich.edu
authors.forename: Carlos F Mendes
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: de Leon
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eschbach
authors.forename: Kyriakos S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Markides
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D019352:Censuses; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology; D015206:Southwestern United States; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data