According to new research conducted by Oregon State University, public health approaches for Latinos may need to be tailored because not all Latinos face the same health challenges. Latinos tend to be lumped together as a singular ethnic/racial group when it comes to health research, but in reality Latinos are a diverse group of different ethnic/racial groups that have health risks that range from group to group. Latinos also happen to be the fastest growing ethnic/racial group in the United States and one of the largest ethnic/racial groups. Lead researcher Daniel López-Cevallos, an assistant professor of ethnic studies in OSU’s College of Liberal Arts, stated:

What we found is that it’s important to be careful not to make assumptions that everyone who is considered Hispanic or Latino can be put into the same basket. There are differences within the group that are important to take into consideration when it comes to addressing public health issues such as cardiovascular health.

Further research is needed to determine if tailoring public health approaches for each Latino ethnic/racial group will be effective. It is great that some research is finally being done that acknowledges Latinos as being a diverse ethnic/racial group, rather than just grouping them up together.

Read the full article here