Disadvantaged Latino Households in the United States

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Nutrition and Physical Health
Suicide
Housing
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The given literature review will primarily focus on a synthesis of the current literature in order to understand the most common and impactful disadvantages among Latino households in the United States. The synthesis review is divided into three themes, which are nutrition and physical health, suicide, and housing.

Nutrition and Physical Health

It is important to note that one of the critical disadvantages among low-income Latino households is food insecurity and poor nutritional access, which translates to the development of major metabolic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. A cohort study conducted on 168 households from the Latino population indicates that food insecurity has a strong correlational connection with maternal clinical depression, where both factors have predictive capabilities for behavioral issues (Nagata et al., 2018). In other words, the authors of the research claim that food insecurity is a root cause of many social problems in the target group.

Although the researchers properly assess the issue of food insecurity in the Latino community as being a major indicator of poverty, the causal assumptions in regards to maternal depression should not be taken as reliable. The main reason is that correlation does not necessarily mean causation, and thus, the study needs to be used only for food insecurity data.

Another piece of literature addresses the notion of individual-level and home-level diet connections. It should be noted that the overall conclusion is based on the strong associative relationship between home-level and individual-level dietary factors (Kong et al., 2018). In other words, the authors propose to design interventions, which target home-level dietary changes rather than individual-level ones since the latter is a derivative of the former.

Although the data presented for both home-level and individual-level dietary assessment can be considered accurate and representative of food insecurity issues among Latino households, the correlational connection between them does not mean causation. They can be consequences of a larger causal factor, which is unknown or overlooked in the research. Therefore, the proposition to focus on home-level dietary changes is not a well-evidenced strategy.

One of the most impactful aspects of food insecurity and poor diet prevalent among Latino households in the United States is obesity. It is important to note that obesity is a metabolic condition, which can make these individuals prone to develop more serious problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and even cancer (Ochoa & Berge, 2016). The results of the longitudinal and cross-sectional study reveal that there are three major adult-associated factors, which involve sleep duration, food security and socioeconomic status, physical activity, screen time, and parental influences (Ochoa & Berge, 2016). Although the authors suggest focusing on sleep factors as interventions, one might argue that the overall issue is the result of food insecurity and low income since feeding behavior might be a byproduct of not being able to access healthy food options. Therefore, the study fills the gap in knowledge in regards to common indicators of obesity among Latino adults but fails to properly establish a causational link between them.

Suicide

Another major disadvantage among Latino households in the US is an overlooked element of suicide rates. Although the given community is the largest minority group in the United States, the literature on suicide is scarce. The study suggests that religion plays a critical role in suicide rate lowering among US-born Latino individuals, whereas socioeconomic status is more important for foreign-born Latino people (Barranco, 2016). The literature fills the gap in regards to highlighting the overall prevalence of suicide among foreign-born Latino groups, but the causal link for religion is not well-evidenced since it could be a common feature of US-born Latino people.

Housing

The last theme of the given literature review synthesis is focused on housing. A study based on the analysis of data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act or HMDA reveals that housing and mortgage disparity is greatest among the Latino population compared to Asians, African Americans, and Whites (Loya, 2021). In addition, the most disadvantaged among the Latino people are black Latinos, which means that these groups are receiving the highest rate of mortgage denials (Loya, 2021). The given research fills a major gap in knowledge as a prime candidate for a cause of housing discrimination experienced by the Latino community. The information is an objective observation and fact, which might be the main reason why the target group faces challenges when it comes to housing. Although there is a possibility that the housing issue is the result of several factors, it is certain that a high mortgage denial rate is among these contributing aspects of disadvantages among Latinos.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the literature review synthesis revealed that the most prominent disadvantages of the Latino community are centered around physical health and nutrition, suicide, and housing. The former is primarily rooted in food insecurity and related mental as well as physical health issues, such as depression and obesity. Suicide rates among Latinos are an overlooked issue, which is highly impactful on both US-born and foreign-born Latino groups. In the case of housing, the highest mortgage denial rates are observed among Latino people, which is a prime reason why buying a house is a major problem for the target community.

References

Barranco, R. E. (2016). Suicide, religion, and Latinos: A macrolevel study of U.S. Latino suicide rates. The Sociological Quarterly, 57(2), 256–281. Web.

Kong, A., Schiffer, L., Antonic, M., Braunschweig, C., Odoms-Young, A., & Fitzgibbon, M. (2018). The relationship between home- and individual-level diet quality among African American and Hispanic/Latino households with young children. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 15(5), 1-12. Web.

Loya, J. (2021). Racial stratification among Latinos in the mortgage market. Race and Social Problems, 1, 1-14. Web.

Nagata, J. M., Gomberg, S., Hagan, M. J., Heyman, M. B., & Wojcicki, J. M. (2018). Food insecurity is associated with maternal depression and child pervasive developmental symptoms in low-income Latino households. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 14(4), 526–539. Web.

Ochoa, A., & Berge, J. M. (2016). Home environmental influences on childhood obesity in the Latino population: A decade review of literature. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 19(2), 430–447. Web.

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