An anomaly within the Latino epidemiological paradox: the Latino adolescent male mortality peak.

Objective: To describe the anomaly of the Latino adolescent male mortality peak in relation to the overall Latino epidemiological paradox and in relation to the need for new conceptual models describing the health of a culturally diverse population.

Design: Population-based study using California's 1989 to 1997 summary death files for death-related information and the State of California Department of Finance population estimates for population denominators for corresponding years.

Participants: California's general population for 1989 to 1997, including California's 15- to 19-year-old and 20- to 24-year-old populations.