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As
the World Turns…
Hispanic Medical Needs
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You say tomato, I say tomate
Over the next 50 years, America’s population will increase
by a whopping fifty percent. Fueling that increase almost exclusively
is the non-white community. Take a walk down the aisle of your
local supermarket, convenience store or super- center and you’ll
find a plethora of products that highlight the foods of different
cultures, many with bilingual package labels. Tastes, preferences
and shopping habits among Hispanics can be wildly diverse, depending
on acculturation level. And while the general medical needs
of Hispanics do not differ markedly from other ethnic groups,
there are cultural, lifestyle and economic factors that give
important clues into optimal product positioning and relatable
advertising messages.
The bigger they come, the harder
they fall
Based on research from ACNielsen’s Homescan Hispanic Panel
in Los Angeles, almost 60 percent of Hispanic households experienced
coughs, colds and flu viruses during the past six months, compared
with only 24 percent of non-Hispanic households. Looking demographically,
Hispanic families are larger, on average, than non-Hispanic
households (4.5 children per Hispanic households vs. 2.7 for
white households). And more kids can equal more coughs and colds.
It is also interesting to note that Hispanics report muscle
pain two and a half times more than non-Hispanic households.
The fact that 59 percent of L.A. Hispanics work in “blue-
collar” professions, compared with only 17 percent of
non-Hispanics, could suggest a correlation. As acculturation
increases, however, the percentage of Hispanics in blue-collar
jobs decreases (Spanish-only 72%, bilingual 46%, and English-only
37%).
One big happy family
Family is a central theme in Hispanic households and traditional
family values are honored. Family mealtime, including preparing
and cooking meals from scratch, is one of these traditions.
However, Hispanic households report heartburn and acid indigestion
almost four times more than non-Hispanics. Interestingly, as
Hispanics acculturate, their use of antacids grow from a penetration
of 28 percent for Spanish-only households to 34 percent for
bilingual households to 39 percent for English-only households—compared
with 36 percent penetration of non-Hispanic households. More
study needs to be done to understand if a correlation exists,
but marketers in these categories would do well to look at the
Hispanic market as a potential area for targeted marketing.
On a positive note, the Hispanic household shows a lower incidence
of high blood pressure (18.4%) than their non-Hispanic counterparts
(27.8%).
As marketers continue down the evolving path of developing marketing
strategies that address the exploding Hispanic population segment,
understanding lifestyle patterns provides important insight
into the most effective communication vehicles that appeal to
and most appropriately address the Hispanic consumer.
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Over the next 50 years, America's population
will increase by a whopping fifty percent. Fueling that increase almost
exclusively is the non-white community.
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