Social and Economic Factors Leading to Health Disparities in the Latino Population Living in the United States

Abstract Background: Several studies suggest that the Latino population in the United States receive poorer access to health care compared to other ethnics group. Objective: The purpose of this integrative literature review was to identify social and economic factors that lead to health disparities among Latinos in the United States and to provide research-based recommendations on addressing the factors that lead to health inequalities. Methods: This integrative literature review utilized the Self-Care Theory by Orem (2016) as framework to organize and conceptualize the research information. The keywords “Latinos AND healthcare AND disparities” were used to search the literature between 2009 and 2019. Results: Three factors were identified as contributing to health care disparities within the Latino population living in the United States. The identified factors were economic barriers, language barriers, and immigration status. Conclusions: Current research suggests the impact of economic barriers, language barriers, and immigration status on health care for the Latino population. Considering Orem’s Theory and the implication to nursing, addressing these health care disparities and the contributing social and economic factors, could potentially lead to an improvement in the overall health status of the Latino community. Key words:Latinos, Hispanics, health disparities, social factors, economic factors, contributing factors, chronic illness, screening, management discrimination, barrier