Spatial Variation in the Hispanic Paradox: Mortality Rates in New and Established Hispanic US Destinations

In: Population, space and place, Band 23, Heft 1

Abstract

AbstractA long line of research has shown that despite their lower socioeconomic standing, Hispanics have lower mortality rates relative to Whites. In a separate literature, scholars have shown that Hispanics are increasingly relocating and shifting their destination choices within the US. Using 1999–2010 county‐level national vital statistics data, this paper combines these two research domains by comparing Hispanic and White all‐cause mortality rates and their differentials in new and established Hispanic destinations. The results reveal that the Hispanic mortality advantage in established destinations is much smaller relative to the rest of the nation owing to significantly higher Hispanic mortality rates. Utilising spatial regression techniques, the study also compares the ecological correlates of White and Hispanic mortality rates and their gaps across Hispanic destinations. The results show that the structural factors associated with mortality gaps vary by destination type except for the percent of Hispanics that are recent immigrants, which is associated with a greater Hispanic mortality advantage in all areas. In addition to providing support for a healthy migrant effect, the results also reveal the importance of internal Hispanic migration, which is associated with larger gaps in established areas. Lastly, factors associated with White mortality, particularly local socioeconomic conditions, are associated with larger mortality gaps, specifically in new destinations. The study highlights the increasing need to consider geographic heterogeneity in White and Hispanic health and mortality outcomes given the expanding dispersion of Hispanics into areas that until recently attracted few Latinos. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.