(Bloomberg Business) — People from Latin America come to the United States seeking economic opportunity, but they shouldn't count on better health for their children.

New research published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Hispanics born in the United States have poorer health by several measures than Hispanics born abroad who immigrate to the United States. They're likelier to be obese and smoke cigarettes, and to have high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer. The 57 million Hispanics in the United States make up 18 percent of the population, the largest minority group in the country. 

Hispanic health trends in the United States present a bit of a puzzle for epidemiologists. As a demographic group, Hispanics are similar to American blacks in factors that normally affect health—education, income, and poverty—but their health outcomes more closely resemble those of whites. This is known as the Hispanic paradox: lower mortality despite lower social and economic status.