A Commentary on the Epidemiologic Paradox

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of the term “epidemiologic paradox”. A review of the literature revealed that the term specifically refers to Hispanic or Latino Americans health outcomes. Several different variations of the terms (epidemiologic paradox and Hispanic paradox) used to describe the paradox, are presented.  Research in exploring the paradox has been hampered by a lack of vital statistics on a national basis, data limited to localized regions such as cities, counties and the absence of Hispanic identifiers.  The paradox has covered conditions such has childhood cancers, low birth weight, pregnancy outcomes, and mortality rates. It even covered the oral health status (OHSI) of Latino immigrants and native born Latinos. Researchers in foreign countries have started exploring the paradox on different ethnic groups. The epidemiologic paradox still exists.