Hispanic Preventive Health

Sponsor Organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Campaign Website: www.AHRQ.gov/superheroes
Volunteer Agency: Casanova Pendrill

Hispanics are 38% less likely than non-Hispanics to have visited the doctor within the past year, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In addition, more than a quarter of Hispanic adults have never had their cholesterol checked, two-thirds of Hispanics over 50 have never had a colonoscopy, and nearly 54 percent of Hispanic women over 40 have not had a mammogram within the last year. 

The fact that one-third of U.S. Hispanics are uninsured, along with linguistic and cultural barriers, plays a role in these disparities, as shown in AHRQ’s recent National Healthcare Disparities Report. Studies have found that Hispanics often lag behind the general population in access to preventive care even when they are insured.

The new “Superhéroes” Spanish-language campaign, sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (www.ahrq.gov),  features everyday mothers and fathers whose children see them as superheroes and encourages Hispanic adults to be more involved in their health care, especially preventive care.

Research has shown that people who are more involved in their health care tend to have better health outcomes. The campaign complements AHRQ’s existing efforts that are geared toward helping patients become more involved in decisions regarding their medical treatment. As part of this ongoing effort, AHRQ and the Ad Council launched the “Questions are the Answer” campaign in March 2007. 

The campaign encourages Hispanic adults to visit a comprehensive Web site, www.ahrq.gov/superheroes. The site provides tips on ways to stay healthy and talking with your doctor, recommendations on preventive testing, help in understanding prescriptions, a quiz and glossary of medical terms as well as links to other resources that provide health information.

The campaign launched in March 2008.