Despite a high risk for heart disease and diabetes, Latinas can also live long, healthy lives. From wearing seat belts to membership in the Clean Plate Club, lifestyle choices can have a positive or adverse effect on a lifespan. According to medical literature, Latinas have a greater risk for heart disease and diabetes because of a high rate of obesity and inactivity. But what isn’t common knowledge is that Latinas also have a lower death rate from heart disease and the longest projected lifespan of any other group, according to the U.S. Census. The good news is we have much more control over our longevity than we think. The bad news is, heart disease is still the number one killer of all groups, including Latinas. An ongoing, federally funded study on Hispanic health by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) seeks to explain this anomaly and many other health issues concerning Latino longevity. For now, prevention remains the best approach to heart disease and diabetes. “Like everyone, Latinos need to think about long-term health consequences to ensure our future well being,� says Dr. Larissa Avilés-Santa, project director of the Hispanic Community Health Study /Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL). “This study will help us learn about Latino behaviors and factors that protect or put Hispanics at risk of diabetes, and other chronic conditions.�

Fact or Fiction

Still, the disconnect between Latina longevity and high risk for diabetes and heart disease does prompt some to consider alternative scenarios. For starters, very little medical evidence that is specific to Latino health exists. “We didn’t even start tracking Latino mortality until 1989,� cautions Dr. Jane Delgado of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (the Alliance). “Most of the studies concerning minority health focused on African Americans. Latinos were simply lumped in,� she adds. The HCHS/SOL is the result of years of lobbying by many Latino health advocacy groups like the Alliance, to seriously assess the health benefits and risks within the Latino community. The study is based in four urban centers, San Diego, Chicago, Miami, and the Bronx that are currently recruiting 16,000 participant, ages 18–74, from diverse backgrounds, including gender, wealth, education, and ethnicity. With a focus on cardiovascular and lung diseases and their risk factors, the study begins with a general health exam of the participants to provide a baseline measurement. Yearly updates by participants of any health events will help track health issues. Federally funded with an initial budget of $61 million, the study is currently scheduled to run until 2013. “This is the largest and most important study on Latino health ever to be done in the U.S.,� shares Avilés-Santa. “The information that we will gather will help us better understand Latino health and ultimately will contribute to better prevention and clinical care guidelines for Hispanics/Latinos.� The author of The Latina Guide to Health: Consejos and Caring Answers (Newmarket Press: 2010), Delgado also hopes to bring a positive outlook to the discussion of Latina health. “Most Latinas are getting out-of-date information,� she contends. “I wrote this book to emphasize to Latinas the heart and guts of what they need to know.� She stresses the good news, like Latina longevity and lower rate of heart disease while acknowledging that there are concerns, like the high risk of diabetes. “The research is just beginning. There are so many variables, from our actions to our state of mind,� Delgado stresses. “The two things we know for sure that will positively affect our health is not smoking and exercising. We’ve got to start moving.� She discourages the attitude that high risk factors for diabetes and heart disease doom all Latinas but rather, stresses that uncontrolled diabetes can result in heart disease and there are many methods of prevention so that the prospect for long, healthy lives for Latinas is much more real. “Despite the risk factors, we do well. What we need to do is blend the richness of our culture with the richness of the American lifestyle,� she advises. “That’s what Latina style is all about.�

Heart Disease and Diabetes Hit Home

Diana Castañeda, 58, was always thin, too thin according to her family, so she says she began overeating at an early age in order to fit in. She didn’t really gain weight, however, until she married and had her first child in 1974. She believes she had symptoms of diabetes then but was never diagnosed. “I remember my feet smelled oddly sweet, like rotting orange peel,� she says. A combination of events—the birth of four more children and the loss of health insurance—exacerbated her condition. “I was diagnosed in 1990 but couldn’t continue treatment without insurance,� she admits. A social activist, Castañeda still managed to balance the demands of family and community. She was elected to the Austin Independent School District School Board in 1992 and served for four years, through the severity of outcomes from her untreated diabetes and hypertension. “I started to lose my teeth during that time. Even still, I had out of control denial,� she says. “It’s hard to change your lifestyle and start cooking strange food for your family when they’re used to home cooking.� In 2003 she was finally put on insulin but as a result, gained even more weight, approximately 100 pounds. By 2008, she was diagnosed with congenital heart failure. Insured but still unable to afford medication or co-pays at times, Castañeda soldiers on. Her house is filled with grandchildren now, and ever the community activist, she’s a member of the board of the National Organization for Women and chair of the Committee to Combat Racism. She advises Latinas: “Take care of yourself, be creative with food, and avoid conforming to external standards.� Independent School District School Board in 1992 and served for four years, through the severity of outcomes from her untreated diabetes and hypertension. “I started to lose my teeth during that time. Even still, I had out of control denial,� she says. “It’s hard to change your lifestyle and start cooking strange food for your family when they’re used to home cooking.� In 2003 she was finally put on insulin but as a result, gained even more weight, approximately 100 pounds. By 2008, she was diagnosed with congenital heart failure. Insured but still unable to afford medication or co-pays at times, Castañeda soldiers on. Her house is filled with grandchildren now, and ever the community activist, she’s a member of the board of the National Organization for Women and chair of the Committee to Combat Racism. She advises Latinas: “Take care of yourself, be creative with food, and avoid conforming to external standards.� By Valerie Menard