Thread: Americanization ‘Hazardous’ for Health

http://horus.vcsa.uci.edu/article.php?id=4547

Americanization ‘Hazardous’ for Health
Two UC Irvine professors contributed to a national study of Hispanic immigrants in the United States.
by: Whitney Young
Recent research sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences revealed not only the possibility of a greater Hispanic population in the labor market and political arenas, but also startling information about the deteriorating health of Hispanic Americans and what problems this may present in the future.

Rubén Rumbaut, a UC Irvine sociology professor, and Louis DeSipio, a political science and Chicano/Latino studies associate professor, were part of team that led this research study on the present and anticipated states of Hispanics in America.

The report, titled “Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies: Hispanics and the American Future,” takes a comprehensive look at the current state of Hispanics living in the United States.

The report considers the effects of geographic, linguistic, economic, social and medical cross sections of American life on immigrant and indigenous Hispanic populations in America.

While the report was a combination of many sociological factors, it aimed at answering specific questions about the Hispanic-American population of today.

“The report of the project had two purposes: to see what we know now and to make some reasonable estimates for the future based on that information,” DeSipio said.

The report will be distributed to six cities nationwide via public dissemination sessions for elected officials and community leaders.

“We hope that government agencies will use the data as a way first to inform their own activities like policy making, but also to use it critically,” DeSipio said. “If they think that some pattern that we’ve found doesn’t fit in their community, it’s important to see where we might be wrong.”

The research involved many other statistical committees ranging from the U.S. Census Bureau to the UCI Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. This allowed sociologists to bring a sense of authority and accuracy to their work, which in the past had been more subject to academic critique.

“[The study] was sponsored by and has the scientific rigor of a project done by the National Academy of Sciences, and that’s really a first for comprehensive studies of the Latino community,” DeSipio said. “This means that it will get in the door of congressional offices in a way that academic books may or may not.”

Rumbaut’s analysis focused on the troubling state of health for Hispanics in America and the danger of comparatively less healthy American diets and eating habits.

“By the second generation, assimilation leads to a rapid language shift to English and to educational and occupational attainments, but there is another side to the picture: Americanization can be hazardous for your health,” Rumbaut said. “There is an obvious need for society to invest not only in the economic but in the physical well-being of its citizens.”

DeSipio noted the economic and social repercussions of the pattern of increasingly high numbers of Hispanics with diet-related health problems.

“[Hispanics] lose what’s good about the cultures that they come from, which includes healthier eating habits and healthier lifestyles, and pick up what’s wrong with American society in terms of health—fattier diets, smoking and drinking to excess,” DeSipio said. “As Latinos become more a part of the United States, their health indicators decline and that’s a serious problem for society. We have a population that is aging but is young now that will move into their older years with health problems and will need more health care.”

Along with health concerns, an examination of the political state of Hispanics in America was subject to analysis in DeSipio’s research.

“Latinos, despite the fact that they are an overwhelming immigrant population, are learning English and they’re using the resources of the nation to become linguistically incorporated into American society,” DeSipio said.

Latinos are also making great strides in the labor market, according to DeSipio.

“Latinos are demonstrating rapid accomplishments in the labor market. They have higher labor force participation than do non-Hispanic whites. You’re seeing increased opportunities for Latinos in different sectors of the economy.”

While an increase in visibility of the Hispanic presence in American economic and political spheres offered some hope for a more equitable government representation of Hispanic-Americans, DeSipio also highlights the gradual nature of that growth.

“My own research focused on political issues and I noted the great accomplishments over the last 20 or 25 years as more Latinos are tuning out to vote ... [and] more Latinos are being elected into office, but I also noted with some concern that those growth rates are just barely keeping up with the growth in the Latino population,” DeSipio said. “Latinos remain underrepresented in political spheres and if that continues ... maybe many in the Latino community will come to feel that the political system doesn’t represent their interest and they’ll keep their distance and that might be a huge problem.”

DeSipio acknowledged the importance of these kinds of sociological studies and how they might change the way in which we anticipate changes in the social organization of Hispanic-Americans in the future.

“If patterns that exist today continue, what does that tell us about where Latinos will be in 20 or 25 years? And where will the nation be if Latinos are where we think they might be 20 years from now?” DeSipio asked.

“In the end that might be the most important question for us because our argument in the report is that the future of the nation really depends on the degree to which good things that are happening in the Latino communities continue and things that could be improved are improved.”

Good for them only! Others, long time legal Americans are losing their jobs.

And who told them to eat what we eat?

I tell you people, soon some new immigrant will have a kid...that kid will run for high office...and will work for his race and his race only...if La Raza is any indication....or many other foreign groups.

Our whole political structure will change forever, I may not be here to see it, but your kids will.

I don't know where those people live but we pretty much have to eat what THEY eat here since there isn't much of anything else in the stores anymore.

Furthermore, I wonder if anyone stopped to consider that all that booze and all those cigarettes they can afford to buy with these "great" jobs they have might just have a little something to do with the reason they are sick. Do they think the booze or smoke preserves them?

Several years ago, I used to have neighbors across the street from me. She was Mexican and he was from Honduras. They had six kids, one of whom was incarcerated as a gang member who got caught.

If the husband ever drew a sober breath, I'd like to know when it was and the woman smoked like a chimney. Yet they thought nothing of sending their kids over here to ask me to loan her money for a loaf of bread or asking if we had extra meat, etc. I celebrated when those people moved.

Last night I had me another confrontation with a mexican national. I went to a bbq and started drinking. I noticed this moron started attacking American principles. Well, It wasn't long before I removed him from the crowd and introuced myself as the offended american he failed to recognize in the crowd. I was nice to him and asked him to explain America in brief since this jerk had the guts to criticize America. He told me that he resented the fact that illegals were going to get treated as criminals. I told him they had been criminals since the day the crossed the line on the border. He shrugged and started to get nervous. He told me he resented the fact that Americans think they are better than anybody else. I responded by telling him I've yet to see a gringo dashing to the south accross the Rio Grande. Maybe Jorge Bush will be the first one making this absurd history sometime in the next six to twelve months if current outlooks follow through in time. :P But yes I told him firmly, America is the best place in this world. He said Mexico does not need America. I told him what will Mexico do if we send back his 20 million Awop citizens and their unemployment rate suddenly soars to 35%. e looked at me with a blind stare. I told him to research his stupid words because that is usually what gets his country in trouble. They tend to put theitr foot up mouths. Typical Mexican I assured myself. Well, I am not as young anymore but for a moment though what it will be like to kick this mexican ass. He was insulting me in my own country.. Finally, I told him I felt sad for him and his country and to be more careful how he runs his stupid mouth. Jorge Bush might be the best thing that ever happen to him but I nowhere near Jorge Bush He felt my sincerity and decided to leave the party.. Good riddance. Apply these tecniques and maybe we can take care of this illegal immigration crisis