Atlanta, Georgia is the largest urban center in the southeastern US. Since the 1980s, the region has undergone profound social, cultural and demographic change. Before the region had two main ethnic groups: African American and European American (Dameron and Murphy 1997). In the 1970s and 1980s, over 10,000 migrants and refugees from Vietnam arrived in Atlanta, changing the ethnic make-up of the region, as well as political, economic and social relations (CARA 1996; Dameron and Murphy 1997). From 1980 to 1995, the Hispanic population of Georgia grew 130%. By 1996 there were 462,973 Hispanics in Georgia (Dameron and Murphy 1997). There are no figures on the number of Hispanics who are Mexican; estimates from centers that deal with Hispanics are that about 90% of Hispanics are Mexican. The numbers of Hispanics who are women is even more difficult to ascertain. Many Mexicans are undocumented, and women, even more so, which makes them even more difficult to count.
Hispanic and Latino Immigrants
The Hispanic population of Georgia has grown, especially in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, made up of Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, and Cherokee counties (Clayton, Rockdale, Henry, Douglas and Fayette were added in 1996). Here, the Hispanic population is the largest non traditional minority group in the city. Hispanics grew from 30,000 in 1982, to over 110,000 in 1992 (Dameron and Murphy 1997)—260% in ten years. Between 1992 and 1996, the Hispanic population of the Atlanta metro area grew to over 231,619 (CARA 1996)—an increase of 110% in just six years. Of these, 9,571, or 4%, are children in school (CARA 1996). This growth has changed the cultural make-up of the city: a Mexican owns three radio stations that broadcast in Spanish, and, in 1997, there were three Spanish language newspapers (one owned by a Mexican) (Dameron and Murphy 1997). By 1999, there were eleven (Atlanta Journal Constitution 22 November 1999). Mexican workers play an important role in the service sector, as well as in construction and industry. Meat packers, especially chicken processing plants, must be located close to the farm to reduce losses of live animals in transportation. Packers, then, are tied to the production region, but they use up the local work force because of the arduous and dangerous working conditions, as well as low salaries. Once the native work force has been used up, new sources of workers are sought (women, African-Americans, migrants) (Saindon 1991). This recent increase in the number of Hispanics in the southeastern US indicates that there is a specific demand for their labor. In part this demand is due to construction associated with the 1996 Olympic games, but the games don’t explain the increase that began before Atlanta was named host of the games. Other changes in the labor market explain this increase better. These include, aside from the construction industry and meat packers, carpet and textile factories and services (domestic service, gardening, restaurants, etc.). Atlanta is a secondary US destination for most Mexican male migrants who arrive from other states. Men migrate, on average, the year after they marry (1987) and women them, on average four years after marriage.
A needs assessment for the Archdiocese of Atlanta summarizes the main characteristics of the Hispanic population (Rees, Miller, Saldana 2003):
- The ratio of males:females in mass is 55:46
- They estimate the total population of Hispanics in North Georgia to be 460,000
- The average age of the population is 33 years
- Women go to mass more often and are more likely to be married
- Most people, 86% of the sample, are married or in a common law marriage
- 15% have no children
- Over 80% have no children in their home country (males of any age and all older migrants have more children in home country)
- The population as a whole has an average education of 9.7 years, women have 10 years, and men, barely 9—but this differs widely by region and nation of origin
- Hispanics come from 20 countries: Mexico is the birth country for over 75% of the sample, Colombia for 7% and Guatemala for 4%
- The average year of arrival in the US is 1992, and in Georgia is 1995
- At least 50% of the total Hispanic population is undocumented
- About half send money home; especially those who report children left behind with relatives
- Many still have strong ties to their country of origin—40% own a house there
- The longer the US residence, the less money people send home
- The most common form of household is for 3 family members to occupy two bedrooms and rent out the third bedroom (or the living room) to 2 non family members
- Hispanics not as mobile as is commonly thought—over two years average in their current housing; males are a more mobile population than women.
- Average rent is $665 per month
- Most live in a house (49%), followed by apartments (36%) and trailers (12.5%)
- Women work in meat packing (chicken plants) (11%) and domestic service (8%), professionals (7%) (13% were professionals at home)
- Men work in carpet (7%), meat packing (chickens) (10%) and construction (29%), including 8% who are skilled construction workers or crew chiefs
- In their home country, the largest group worked in agriculture (31%), with 13% in construction (13%) and 11% professionals
- Unemployment is less than 4%
- Most (61%) do not speak any English, while 35% report that they are bilingual; 3.9% speak an indigenous language
- The main language spoken in the home is Spanish, but 10% speak English or English and Spanish at home
- Most report that they come to mass every week
- 80% get to mass in car, 9% by (paid) ride
- 43% prefer mass at noon; and 80% prefer mass on Sunday
- The mass in Spanish reflects their traditions
- Few, 6.5%, have participated in another religion (or few who have participated in another religion return to the Catholic church)
- Half would prefer a parochial school for their children
- 10% need baptism services, over 25% have used these services
- 25% report a need for Bible study or spiritual study
- Three-quarters of the population would serve in a ministry in the parish; 73% have never served in a parish ministry
- Most come to mass with between two and three other members of their household
- Ten percent reported living in households with people who practice another religion
The same study reports that main needs of the Hispanic population include:
- More report social needs (35%) than religious needs (29%)
- Most people know what services are offered in their parishes
- The greatest needs are for English classes (35%), legal advice (33%), helping getting driver’s licenses (28%), and medical care (17%)
- Few need financial help or job fairs—most are working and supporting themselves.
- Services actually used include English (20%), other services (youth group, financial support and newcomers groups)
- Few parishes offer social services
History of Latinos in Atlanta
The main increase in Latino immigration to Atlanta began in the 1990s, as a result of the boom that accompanied the 1996 Olympics
Diabetes among Latinos
From 1990 to 2000 Georgia became the third largest state for migrating Hispanics and Latinos. With a growth rate of over 300% since 1999, doctors and hospitals struggle to provide services to Spanish speaking patients. With multiple versions of the Spanish language, which may be understood by other Latinos or Hispanics in the same region, cultural differences, the lack of interpreters for Spanish, and monolingual English speaking medical staff, obtaining adequate healthcare is a problem for Hispanics and Latinos in Georgia. In addition to the language barrier, there is another problem that exists for Latinos and Hispanics in the healthcare industry. According to the Georgia Minority Health & Health Disparities Report, 41% of Georgians without health insurance are Hispanics, with an additional 24% representing multi-cultural communities. Although the Hispanic and Latino communities make up 29% of the working class in Georgia, the majority of Hispanics and Latinos do not benefit from having either public or private health insurance.
Diabetes
With an increase in population over the last decade, there has also been a steady increase in the number of diabetes cases in the Atlanta as well. Although African Americans have the highest cases of diabetes with 31%, the morbidity rate of Hispanics and Latinos has doubled over the past ten years to 1.8%. This information warrants improved medical attention that should focus on the Latino and Hispanic communities. Additionally, diabetes among pregnant women in Georgia compared to the U.S has constantly increased to approximately 1.50 % from 1995 to 2005. Although diabetes is more common in Blacks than any other racial or ethnic group, Latino individuals are more than 1.5 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic Whites, and those of Mexican origin are twice as likely to have diabetes as other Latinos. Diabetes, which is known also as sugar diabetes, “affects the body’s ability to use blood sugar for energy.” There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is occurs when the body’s immune system destroys the cells of the pancreas, which produces insulin, thus causing dehydration, weight loss, damage to the body that results from nerve damage, and Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) which shuts down the body
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