Percentage of Total Population
Hispanic or Latino 12.5 16.3 Not Hispanic or Latino 87.5 83.7 White alone 69.1 63.7 Race One race 97.6 97.1 White 75.1 72.4 Black or African American 12.3 12.6 American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9 0.9 Asian 3.6 4.8 Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander 0.1 0.2 Some other race 5.5 6.2 Two or more races 2.4 2.9
Source: Humes, et al. (2011). Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2010. Census Briefs. p. 4. Retrieved from http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/, June 26, 2011. p. 6.
Diversity ■ 45
In order to understand the profound changes that are taking place in the health care system, both in the delivery of services and in the profile of the peo- ple who are receiving and delivering services, we must look at the changes in the American population. The White majority is aging and shrinking; the Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian populations are young and growing. It is imperative for those who deliver health care to be understanding of and sensi- tive to cultural differences, and the effect of the differences on a person’s health and illness beliefs and practices and health care needs.