by Rocio Zamora Arzola
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- Latinos are experiencing higher levels of stress compared to other ethnicities, with money — or the lack thereof — being the number one cause of their anxiety, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2009 “Stress in America” survey (HispanicBusiness.com 11.3.09).
- 50% of Latino adults reported that stress has increased in their lives in 2009 compared to 2008, when only 44% reported having stress. The national average is 42%.
- Money is more likely to be seen as a significant source of stress among Latinos (77%) than for either whites (68%) or blacks (74%).
- With stress like this, you’d think Latinos would be staying up nights, which they are: 53% of Latinos report that they have lain awake at night, compared to 47% of all adults.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- Latinos understand that chasing the American dream has its built-in obstacles. When you layer on the enduring recession and growing unemployment, that stress escalates.
- The lack of sleep, added on to other chronic problems like diabetes and hypertension, makes it ever-more-important for Latinos to make lasting changes in their health practices.
RESOURCES
