Karl Eschbach ^1*, Jim P. Stimpson ², Yong-Fang Kuo ¹, James S. Goodwin ¹

¹ University of Texas Medical Branch
² UTMB

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: kaeschba{at}utmb.edu.

	Abstract

Objectives. We examined mortality patterns among immigrant and US-born Hispanic young adults.

Measures. We used Texas and California vital registration data from 1999 to 2001 linked to 2000 census denominators. We calculated cause-specific, indirectly standardized rates and ratios and determined excess/deficit calculations comparing mortality rates among US- and foreign-born Hispanic men and women with rates among non-Hispanic White men and women.

Results. Mortality rates were substantially lower among Hispanic immigrant men (standardized mortality ratio [SMR]=0.79) and women (SMR=0.59) than among non-Hispanic White men and women. Most social and behavioral and chronic disease causes other than homicide were noteworthy contributors to this pattern. Mortality rates among US-born Hispanics were similar to or exceeded those among non-Hispanic Whites (male SMR=1.17, female SMR=0.91).

Conclusions. Mortality rates among younger Hispanic immigrants in Texas and California were lower than rates among non-Hispanic Whites. This pattern was not observed among US-born Hispanics, however.

Key Words: Immigration, Hispanics/Latinos, Race/Ethnicity, Mortality, Statistics/Evaluation/Research