English

Nebraska's increase in population in the last ten years has been largely due to immigration. These first generation immigrants, struggle with issues of language, access to medical services, and adjustments to the American way of life.

How did we measure up in Nebraska?

  • Racial and ethnic minorities increased by 83.3 % overall, comprising 12.7 % of the total population.
  • Those with Hispanic origins grew at 155.4 %, becoming the largest minority group in Nebraska.
  • The Hispanic/Latino youth population grew 81.8 %
  • The diabetes-related mortality rate for Hispanic Americans was 1.6 times the rate for whites in Nebraska in 1993-1997.
  • Tooth decay was five times as common as asthma and seven times as common as hay fever in children. One in four American children was born into poverty. Those children suffered twice the amount of tooth decay as children with more affluent parents.
(Nebraska Public Health Implementation Plan, Nebraska's Plan to Strengthen and Transform Public Health in Our State, Turning Point; Kids Count in Nebraska 2002, Voices for Children; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)


How did we measure up in Burt, Cuming, Madison and Stanton counties?

  • The number of Hispanic students rose from 1 % in the 1990-91 school year to 16 % in the 2000-2001 year.
  • In 1990, 3% of the population of Cuming County was Hispanic; in 2000 that number increased to 5.4 %.
  • More than ½ of the children at the Madison Head Start Center and one-third of the children at Norfolk Head Start Center in 2002 were Hispanic.
  • Of the Hispanics in Cuming County in 2001, 34 % had never visited a doctor for a routine checkup within the past year and 8.3 % had never visited a dentist for a routine dental exam.
(Minority Behavior Risk Factor Survey, Cuming County, Nebraska, August 2001; Nebraska Health and Human Services System; Census 1990 and 2000; Goldenrod Hills Community Action Head Start reports, 2002)


Hammering out solutions

Minority Health -- Dental and diabetes screenings and education are completed in schools and other locations in Madison and Cuming counties, referring those with positive screenings to physicians and dentists. Acanthosis nigricans skin markings were used to identify those with high blood levels of insulin.

Women Lead the Way -- Walking was encouraged through Women Lead the Way, a program for Hispanic women. Along with pedometers to track their steps and journals to record their progress, in the past year more than 300 Hispanic women were given walking tips, heart healthy information in both Spanish and English, and encouragement lots of encouragement. If you're interested in diabetes screening, or information on proper nutrition and exercise, or any other tips to healthy living, contact the Health Department at (402) 529-2233 or 1-877-379-4400.