ABSTRACT
Racial/ethnic minorities in the United States generally experience disproportionate burdens of illness and disease. Like non-Hispanic (NH) Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos experience a range of psychosocial and physical health disparities, including lower income and education, high rates of obesity and high rates of chronic diseases. Yet surprisingly, Latinos (including Mexican Americans) experience lower incidence of several leading causes of death, as well as lower all-cause mortality relative to NH Whites; this phenomenon is commonly referred to as the Hispanic/Latino mortality paradox. This chapter will review the available evidence concerning disease rates and health outcomes, while also presenting a discussion of cultural pathways which may moderate and mediate the observed findings.
