Health data issues for Hispanics: Implications for public health research

The limited availability of Hispanic health data has hampered the developme nt of targeted public health policies. Hispanics represent 11.5 percent of the population and are projected to become the largest minority group in th e United States by the year 2010. This paper explores current issues in His panic health data collection, examines methodological concerns, and present s recommendations for future Hispanic public health data collection. Data a re derived from statistical reports of the U.S. Bureau of the Census, Natio nal Center for Health Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and other emp irical studies. Recommendations include: collecting both race and ethnic-sp ecific data by Hispanic subgroup, designing appropriate data collection ins truments and approaches, and selecting referent groups for comparison purpo ses. The authors conclude that the renewed national focus on health dispari ties among underserved populations requires an increased commitment to adeq uately identify Hispanic subgroups.