Long-term conditions in minoritised urban populations: Latin American community of London

Background Minoritised populations in the United Kingdom frequently identify in multiple ethnic groupings and therefore little is known of their health needs. There were 136,062 Latin American people recorded in the 2021 UK Census across six different ethnic groups. Aim Characterise the incidence of long-term conditions (LTCs) and multiple LTCs (mLTCs) amongst the Latin American community of London. Design and setting Retrospective cohort study using pseudonymised primary care data from 890,922 individuals in an urban, superdiverse area of London from 2005-2022. Method Latin American individuals were identified using country of birth, language and ethnicity codes, and validated against Census findings. Multivariable competing risks regression models estimated the effect of being Latin American, compared to the White British ethnic group, on incidence of 32 LTCs and risk factors relevant to urban populations. Results 28,617 Latin American people were identified in this cohort, 3.2% of total. In multivariable analysis, compared to the White British ethnic group, being Latin American was associated with twice the rate of HIV/AIDS (hazard ratio (HR) 2.00; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.65–2.43), 60% increased rate of diabetes (HR 1.61; 95%CI 1.47–1.77) and almost twice the rate of systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis (HRs 2.28; 95% CI 1.18–4.38 and 1.69; 95% CI 1.32–2.17 respectively). Conclusion Using commonly-recorded primary care codes accurately and reliably identifies markedly higher risks of HIV/AIDS, diabetes and joint disease among London’s Latin American population. These data can be used to target inclusive and equitable health interventions. How it fits in Little is known of the health of the United Kingdom’s (UK) Latin American population, who usually identify in multiple ethnic groups and are therefore hidden from ethnicity statistics. This study identified 28,617 Latin Americans using country of birth, ethnicity and language codes in a large primary care record dataset in London (n=890,438). Compared to the White ethnic group, the Latin American population are at higher risk of HIV/AIDS, diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. These data reveal health inequalities in a frequently hidden and locally important population of the UK.