J. Sundquist et Ma. Winkleby, Cardiovascular risk factors in Mexican American adults: A transcultural analysis of NHANES III, 1988-1994, AM J PUB HE, 89(5), 1999, pp. 723-730
Citations number
75
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science","Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health","Medical Research General Topics
Objectives. This study examined the extent to which cardiovascular disease
risk factors differ among subgroups of Mexican Americans living in the Unit
ed States.
Methods. Using data from a national sample (1988-1994) of 1387 Mexican Amer
ican women and 1404 Mexican American men, aged 25 to 64 years, we examined
an estimate of coronary heart disease mortality risk and 5 primary cardiova
scular disease risk factors: systolic blood pressure, body mass index, ciga
rette smoking, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and type 2 diabete
s mellitus. Differences in risk a ere evaluated by country of birth and pri
mary language spoken.
Results. Estimated 10-year coronary heart disease mortality risk per 1000 p
ersons, adjusted for age and education, was highest for US-born Spanish-spe
aking men and women (27.5 and 11.4, respectively), intermediate for US-born
English-speaking men and women (22.5 and 7.0), and lowest for Mexican-born
men and women (20.0 and 6.6). A similar pattern of higher risk among US-bo
rn Spanish-speaking men and women was demonstrated for each of the 5 cardio
vascular disease risk factors.
Conclusions. These findings illustrate the heterogeneity of the Mexican Ame
rican population and identify a new group at substantial risk for cardiovas
cular disease and in need of effective heart disease prevention programs.