Understanding the Hispanic/Latino Consumer

Thursday, August 13, 2015: 12:45 PM-2:15 PM
Centennial IV
Developing effective health information for Hispanics poses unique challenges because of the diversity of this population group, which today makes up 17% of the U.S. population (54 million people). Recent Census Bureau projections estimate that by 2060 the Hispanic population will be 31% of the U.S. population. As the nation strives to achieve health equity for all, effective health messaging for Hispanics must be informed by an understanding of nativity and levels of acculturation, immigration status, language preference, education and literacy levels, income, age, geographic region, health insurance status, and preferences with regard to traditional and/or social and digital media. As we move forward in the changing health care landscape, a few important trends stand out with regard to health communication and marketing for Hispanics: • In a shift, the “primary source of Hispanic population growth has swung from immigration to native births.” • Data released in March 2015 indicate that the percentage of Hispanics without healthcare coverage has decreased from 41.8% to 29.5%. • Hispanics use social media networks about equally as do other segments of the population. A digital divide continues to exist between English-dominant and native-born Hispanics who are more likely to go online than Spanish-dominant and foreign-born Hispanics. Public health professionals are today challenged with achieving health equity in their efforts to promote health and prevent disease. This panel will provide guidance on creating effective health campaigns with an understanding about the changing health communication needs of U.S. Hispanics.

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