Community Problem

Introduction

A community can be defined as a group of people who are bound by a geographical region, and/ or group of people bound together by a same lifestyle, culture, religion or interests. Urban, sub-urban and rural communities are example of a community formed because of people living in a same geographical area and thus also having a mostly similar lifestyle. People having similar interests or hobbies can also be considered a community for e.g. bird watching community. Countries around the world also have different ethnic communities as an important part of the population. In the USA two important and growing communities are the African American community and the Hispanic/Latino community.

The Hispanic/Latino community is one of the largest ethnic communities living in the USA. According to a 2011 US Census Bureau the community forms 16.7% of the total population with around 52 million people. These numbers are expected to increase to a 30% of the total population in 2050 (http://www.cdc.gov). Every community, no matter the type, faces certain problems. Similarly, such a large community will also be facing problems in the society.

The Problem

The major problem that is being faced by the Hispanic/Latino community in the US, since the fast few years, is the ever increasing health issues prevalent throughout most of the community.

The CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report (http://www.cdc.gov) reported some alarming figures in 2011. It was found that Hispanics had the higher number of people living in unhealthy housing conditions. Hispanics had a higher number of uninsured individuals. Obesity was also found to be the highest in Mexican- American as far as the make population of younger than 20 is concerned. In 2010, the ethnic community was recognized as a diabetes risk factor (http://www.cdc.gov). Chronic liver disease, heart diseases, and hypertension were also found to be high in ...