Minority Health Summit 2003: Report of the Advocacy Writing Group

Discovering the Full Spectrum of Cardiovascular Disease: Minority Health Summit 2003: Report of the Advocacy Writing Group -- Yancey et al. 111 (10): e140 -- Circulation
The US population is exceptionally rich in cultural diversity,
and that diversity is increasing rapidly. Nearly 33%
of the US population self-identifies as a member of a racial or
an ethnic minority.1 Trends in US Census data for the past 30
years point to the continual increase in the number of diverse
groups. Roughly 1 million immigrants enter the United States
each year; by 2000, there were
32 million immigrants.
Some regions are extraordinarily diverse: For example, in Los
Angeles County, Calif, 140 nationalities have been documented.
2 In terms of future population trends, Latinos,
Asians, and their subgroups will at least double, if not triple,
in population size by the year 2050.2 Likewise, people of
predominantly African descent and Native Americans will show
marginal increases in population size. The number of individuals
who claim membership in at least 2 ethnic groups will increase
10% by 2050, and racial/ethnic minorities will constitute
50%
of the US population.2