The Hispanic Mortality Paradox: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Longitudinal Literature
Keywords
Mortality Rates, Hispanic
Abstract
Objectives: The current objective was to compare Hispanic mortality rates to those of other racial/ethnic groups in order to investigate the possibility of a Hispanic mortality advantage.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published longitudinal literature reporting Hispanic individuals’ mortality of any cause compared with that of any other racial/ethnic group.
Results: Across 58 studies (4,615,747 participants), the random effects weighted average effect size was OR = 0.825 (P < .001, 95% CI = 0.75 to 0.91), corresponding to a 17.5% lower risk of mortality among Hispanic populations compared to other racial groups. The difference in mortality risk tended to be greater among older populations and varied as a function of pre-existing health condition, with effects apparent for initially healthy samples and for those with cardiovascular diseases. The results also differed by racial group comparison: Hispanics had lower overall risk for mortality than non-Hispanic Whites and non-Hispanic Blacks, but overall higher risk for mortality than Asian Americans.
Conclusions: These findings provide evidence of a small Hispanic mortality advantage, with implications for conceptualizing and addressing racial/ethnic health disparities.
Original Publication Citation
Ruiz, J., Steffen, P., & Smith, T. B. (2013). The Hispanic mortality paradox: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the longitudinal literature. American Journal of Public Health, 103(2), 1-9. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301103.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Ruiz, J.; Steffen, P.; and Smith, Timothy B., "The Hispanic Mortality Paradox: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Longitudinal Literature" (2013). Faculty Publications. 1744.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/1744
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2013-03-31
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/3683
Publisher
American Public Health Association
Language
English
College
David O. McKay School of Education
Department
Counseling Psychology and Special Education
Copyright Status
© 2013 American Public Health Association. All rights reserved. This is the author's submitted version of this article. The definitive version can be found at http://ajph.aphapublications.org/action/showMultipleAbstracts?mailPageTitle=Advanced+Search&href=%2Faction%2FdoSearch%3FdisplaySummary%3Dtrue%26Contrib%3DTim%2BB%2BSmith%26Title%3D%26AllField%3D%26Abstract%3D%26PubIdSpan%3D%26filter%3D%26AfterMonth%3D%26AfterYear%3D%26BeforeMonth%3D%26BeforeYear%3D&Contrib=Tim+B+Smith&target=default&startPage=0&doi=10.2105%2FAJPH.2012.301103
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