Theme of UTMB CPHHD
The CPHHD consists of three projects which were stimulated by our recent findings of the importance of neighborhood on the health of older Mexican-Americans and other Hispanic populations. We have found that overall mortality and the incidence of most major cancers are significantly decreased among Hispanics living in census tracts with high percentages of Hispanics, compared to those living in neighborhoods with low percentages of Hispanics. These findings provide a powerful "experiment in nature" with which to investigate mechanisms operable in the so-called "Hispanic paradox" - the finding that many measures of health of different Hispanic populations in the U.S. are similar to those of non-Hispanic whites even though those Hispanic populations are clearly disadvantaged in terms of income, health insurance, housing, education and other factors that correlate strongly with health.
Thus, the theme of the UTMB CPHHD is to understand the mechanisms responsible for lower cancer incidence, lower prevalence of other diseases, and lower mortality associated with the increasing percent of Hispanics in the neighborhood. An understanding of these mechanisms would have relevance not only for the health of Hispanic populations as they become more dispersed, but also should provide important information relevant to all Americans about social structures and individual behaviors that promote good health.
