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The health and fitness story of America’s Hispanic and Latino community cannot be reduced to a single statistic. It is a story of serious chronic health disparities, unequal access to care and neighborhoods where healthy choices are often more difficult or expensive. At the same time, it is also a story of cultural resilience, growing economic power and a rapidly evolving definition of wellness.

Across the country, Latino consumers are embracing strength training, walking groups, dance fitness, wearable technology, telehealth, higher-protein foods and more intentional approaches to nutrition. Many are not abandoning the foods, traditions or relationships that define their culture. They are finding ways to make those traditions work more effectively for their long-term health.

That distinction matters. Sustainable wellness rarely comes from asking people to reject who they are. It is more likely to take hold when healthier habits are affordable, accessible, culturally relevant and connected to the people who already shape daily life.

A Large and Influential Community Facing Unequal Outcomes

More than 64.7 million people in the United States identified as Hispanic or Latino in 2024, representing approximately 19% of the national population. This population is younger than the country overall and continues to account for a significant share of American population, workforce and consumer growth.

The community’s expanding influence, however, has not eliminated its exposure to preventable health risks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 16.5% of Hispanic adults described their health as fair or poor in 2024. Cancer and heart disease were the two leading causes of death among Hispanics, followed by unintentional injuries, stroke and diabetes.

Obesity remains one of the most visible challenges. According to the Office of Minority Health, 37.5% of Hispanic adults had obesity in 2024, compared with 33.4% of the total adult population. That made Hispanic adults approximately 12% more likely than American adults overall to have obesity.

Earlier National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, which use measured height and weight rather than self-reported information, found obesity among 44.8% of Hispanic men and 46.8% of Hispanic women age 20 and older. The difference between estimates illustrates how prevalence can vary depending on the years, age groups and research methodology being used. It does not change the larger conclusion that obesity affects a substantial portion of the community.

The concern begins well before adulthood. In 2023, 19.5% of Hispanic high school students had obesity, compared with 15.9% of high school students nationally. Among Hispanic boys, the figure reached 24.6%, making them 35% more likely than boys nationwide to have obesity. Among Hispanic children ages 6 to 11, earlier federal data placed obesity prevalence at 26.6%, compared with 19.3% among children overall.

These numbers should not be interpreted as evidence of an individual failure of discipline. Body weight and chronic disease are influenced by food prices, neighborhood safety, work schedules, stress, transportation, education, sleep, health insurance and access to preventive medical care. Personal choices matter, but those choices are made inside economic and social environments that are not equally supportive.

Diabetes Reveals the Long-Term Cost

Diabetes represents one of the clearest examples of how several health risks can converge. In 2024, 11.3% of Hispanic adults reported diagnosed diabetes, compared with 10% of the adult population overall. Hispanic adults were therefore approximately 13% more likely than U.S. adults overall to have the condition.

The consequences extend beyond diagnosis. In 2022, the age-adjusted diabetes death rate among Hispanics was 28.3 per 100,000 people, compared with 24.1 per 100,000 for the total population. Hispanic Americans died from diabetes at a rate approximately 17% higher than the country overall.

Diabetes complications also expose disparities in preventive care and disease management. Among Hispanic adults with diabetes, 29% experienced visual impairment in 2024, compared with 26.5% of all adults with diabetes. Only 63.1% of Hispanic adults with diagnosed diabetes received an annual eye examination in 2023, compared with 66% of adults with diabetes nationally.

The disparity becomes even more severe when examining kidney disease. In 2021, the age-adjusted incidence of end-stage renal disease caused by diabetes was 274.1 cases per million among Hispanics, compared with 151.5 per million for the total population. That represents an 81% higher incidence.

These outcomes demonstrate why wellness cannot be treated simply as a matter of appearance or weight loss. Nutrition, physical activity and preventive care influence whether people remain healthy enough to work, care for their families, build businesses and participate fully in their communities.

Access Is Still One of the Largest Barriers

Health insurance coverage has improved over the past several decades, but Hispanic Americans remain disproportionately uninsured. In 2024, approximately 17% of Hispanics had no health insurance, compared with 8% of the total population. Among Hispanic adults ages 18 to 64, the uninsured rate reached 25.3%.

Language can create another barrier even when medical services are technically available. Approximately 68% of Hispanics age five and older spoke a language other than English at home in 2024, while 28% reported speaking English less than very well. Without trained interpreters, bilingual providers and culturally appropriate health information, patients may have difficulty understanding diagnoses, prescriptions or follow-up instructions.

Economic conditions further shape access. The median Hispanic household income was approximately $71,415 in 2024, compared with $80,734 for all U.S. households. Nearly 17% of Hispanic families experienced poverty, compared with approximately 13% of American families overall.

For a person working multiple jobs, missing an hourly shift for a medical appointment can carry an immediate financial penalty. Buying fresh produce may be more expensive than purchasing calorie-dense convenience foods. Paying for a gym membership may be unrealistic when rent, transportation, childcare and health insurance already consume most of a household budget.

This is why the most effective wellness strategies cannot depend exclusively on expensive memberships, premium foods or sophisticated equipment. They must also work in parks, schools, workplaces, community centers, kitchens and homes.

The Physical Activity Gap Is an Opportunity

Federal guidelines recommend that adults complete at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week, along with muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days. Yet in 2023, only 26.9% of Hispanic adults met both the aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines, compared with 30% of adults nationally.

In 2024, 29.4% of Hispanic adults reported no leisure-time physical activity, compared with 22.5% of the overall population. Hispanic adults were also less likely to walk for leisure. In 2022, 53.5% reported walking for leisure during the previous seven days, compared with 58.7% of adults nationwide.

It is important, however, to distinguish leisure-time exercise from total physical exertion. Many Latino workers are concentrated in construction, hospitality, manufacturing, agriculture, landscaping, warehousing and service occupations that can require substantial physical labor. A worker may report no leisure-time exercise while still spending most of the workday standing, lifting or walking.

Occupational activity should not automatically be considered a substitute for structured exercise. Repetitive labor can produce fatigue and injury without delivering the same cardiovascular, mobility or strength benefits as a well-designed fitness program. Employers should recognize that a physically demanding job can create different wellness needs, including recovery, hydration, sleep, injury prevention and access to medical care.

The activity gap is especially concerning among younger generations. Hispanic children ages 6 to 13 were 19% less likely than children overall to meet aerobic activity guidelines. Only 44.3% of Hispanic children and adolescents participated in sports teams or lessons during 2022 and 2023, compared with 54.6% nationally.

In 2023, just 20.1% of Hispanic high school students were physically active for at least 60 minutes every day, compared with 24.6% of students nationwide. Among Hispanic high school girls, the rate was only 13.3%.

Fitness Becomes More Sustainable When It Is Social

The next phase of Latino fitness may be less about selling isolated workouts and more about building participation through community. Walking clubs, neighborhood running groups, soccer leagues, dance classes, outdoor boot camps and family fitness events connect exercise with accountability and relationships.

Dance-centered fitness is especially compatible with this approach because it can combine movement, music, celebration and cultural familiarity. Salsa, bachata, merengue and Zumba-inspired programs can offer an entry point for people who may feel uncomfortable in a traditional gym. The activity becomes part of a shared experience rather than another obligation performed alone.

This does not mean every Latino wants the same fitness program. The community includes people from more than 20 countries and territories, along with different generations, income levels, body types and levels of familiarity with exercise. Cultural relevance should never become cultural stereotyping.

The larger lesson is that people are more likely to remain active when they feel welcomed and socially connected. A fitness company, employer or community organization that creates belonging may generate more lasting participation than one that focuses only on appearance, intensity or short-term weight loss.

Digital Wellness Can Expand Access

Smartphones, wearable devices, virtual exercise platforms and health applications are creating new routes into wellness. A person who cannot afford a personal trainer may still be able to follow a structured strength program online. Someone managing diabetes can use digital tools to track glucose, meals, medication and activity. Telehealth can also reduce travel time for patients who live far from a provider or cannot easily leave work.

Digital access does not automatically create better health. Apps can deliver inaccurate information, oversimplify complex conditions or encourage unrealistic expectations. Subscription costs, limited broadband access and low digital health literacy can also prevent technology from reaching the people who might benefit most.

The strongest digital products will not simply translate English-language content into Spanish. They will account for cultural food preferences, family structures, health literacy, income differences and the ways people actually make decisions. That may include bilingual education, familiar recipes, accessible pricing and the ability to involve spouses, parents or children in the same wellness plan.

Technology should reinforce the relationship between an individual and qualified health professionals, not attempt to replace it. Its greatest value may be making healthy behaviors easier to understand, track and repeat between medical appointments.

Traditional Foods Are Not the Enemy

Latino cuisine is often discussed as if better health requires abandoning tortillas, rice, beans, avocados, plantains or culturally important family meals. That approach is both inaccurate and unlikely to produce lasting change.

Many traditional foods can contribute to a balanced diet. Beans offer fiber, plant-based protein and complex carbohydrates. Avocados provide unsaturated fats. Corn tortillas can provide portion-controlled carbohydrates, while vegetables, fruit, seafood and lean proteins appear throughout Latin American and Caribbean cuisines.

The challenge often comes from portions, preparation methods, added sodium, sugary beverages and the growing influence of heavily processed foods. Healthier eating may involve baking instead of frying, reducing sodium, choosing leaner cuts of meat, increasing vegetables, replacing refined grains with whole-grain alternatives and treating sugar-sweetened drinks as occasional rather than everyday choices.

Federal nutrition data show that Latino dietary patterns contain both strengths and weaknesses. From 2017 through 2020, Hispanics consumed approximately 24% more fruit per 1,000 calories than the total population and about 7% more vegetables per 1,000 calories. Their average share of calories from added sugar was also lower, at 12.2% compared with 13.2% nationally.

At the same time, 32.2% of Hispanic adults reported eating vegetables less than once per day in 2021, compared with 20.6% of adults overall. In 2024, 67% of Hispanic children ages one to five consumed a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once per week, compared with 57% of young children nationally.

This is not a community with no nutritional foundation. It is a community with considerable strengths that can be expanded, along with measurable gaps that must be addressed.

Functional Nutrition Reflects a Broader Shift

Consumers are increasingly evaluating food according to what it can help them accomplish. Instead of focusing exclusively on restriction, many people are looking for foods associated with sustained energy, protein intake, digestive health, blood sugar management, heart health and healthy aging.

For Latino consumers, functional nutrition can include higher-protein breakfasts, fiber-rich beans and vegetables, fermented foods, lower-sodium seasonings, healthier fats and less reliance on highly processed products. The objective is not to follow every wellness trend. It is to build eating habits that are satisfying enough to continue and flexible enough to fit real family life.

Food companies have a significant opportunity, but authenticity will matter. The Hispanic population represents nearly one-fifth of the United States and generates trillions of dollars in economic activity. Brands that treat Latino wellness as a seasonal marketing campaign will miss the larger transformation.

The companies positioned to succeed will invest in culturally informed product development, bilingual education, trusted community partnerships and affordable distribution. A premium product available only in affluent neighborhoods cannot solve a population-wide health challenge.

One Healthy Decision Can Influence an Entire Household

Health behavior is rarely an entirely individual matter in a family-centered culture. Grocery purchases, meal preparation, weekend activities and attitudes about medical care can affect children, parents, spouses and grandparents at the same time.

That multigenerational influence can spread unhealthy habits, but it can also accelerate positive change. When one family member begins walking regularly, prepares food differently or schedules preventive appointments, the behavior can become visible and normal to everyone else in the household.

This may be one of the Latino community’s greatest wellness advantages. Family and community networks can serve as powerful systems of encouragement, information and accountability. Healthcare providers, employers and fitness organizations should design programs that recognize those relationships instead of communicating with every person as if they live and make decisions alone.

Wellness Is Also an Economic Strategy

Poor health affects far more than medical expenses. It influences attendance, productivity, career mobility, caregiving responsibilities and household wealth. A preventable medical crisis can interrupt employment, drain savings and place new obligations on several family members.

Employers should therefore view culturally relevant wellness as part of their workforce strategy. Bilingual preventive education, flexible medical leave, health screenings, walking challenges, nutritious workplace food and inclusive fitness benefits can help employees manage their health before a condition becomes a crisis.

Latino professional organizations, employee resource groups and community institutions can be important partners because they already possess something many wellness companies lack: trust. They understand how to communicate with the community and can create programs in environments where people feel represented.

The Future of Latino Wellness Will Be Built Around Culture

The health disparities confronting Hispanic Americans are real, persistent and too large to be solved by motivational slogans. Insurance gaps, income inequality, neighborhood conditions and unequal access to preventive care continue to influence who receives timely treatment and who is expected to manage alone.

Yet the community should not be defined exclusively by its risks. Hispanic Americans are also reshaping wellness through family participation, social fitness, digital tools, culturally familiar nutrition and a growing willingness to discuss health more openly.

The most promising future is not one in which Latino families abandon their culture to become healthier. It is one in which culture becomes part of the solution. When better health is connected to family, community, music, food and shared responsibility, wellness stops feeling like a temporary program. It becomes a sustainable way of living.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2025). Health of Hispanic or Latino population. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2025). Interactive summary health statistics for adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2019–2024. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. (2025). Deaths: Final data for 2022. National Vital Statistics Reports, 74(4). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). 1991–2023 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey data. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2018). Physical activity guidelines for Americans (2nd ed.). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Office of Minority Health. (2026). Diabetes and Hispanics/Latinos. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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• Office of Minority Health. (2026). Nutrition and Hispanics/Latinos. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Office of Minority Health. (2026). Obesity and Hispanics/Latinos. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Office of Minority Health. (2026). Physical activity and Hispanics/Latinos. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey, 2024 five-year estimates. U.S. Department of Commerce.