Cardiovascular risk factors in Mexican American adults: a transcultural analysis of NHANES III, 1988-1994

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) Vol. 89; no. 5; pp. 723 - 730
• Main Authors: Sundquist, J, Winkleby, M A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Am Public Health Assoc 01-05-1999; American Public Health Association
• Subjects: Acculturation; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Body mass index; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - ethnology; Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Coronary heart disease; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Emigration and Immigration; Female; Heart; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Hypercholesterolemia - complications; Hypertension - complications; Male; Medical sciences; Mexican American people; Mexican Americans - statistics & numerical data; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; Miscellaneous; National surveys; Needs Assessment; Nutrition Surveys; Obesity - complications; Prevention and actions; Public health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Regression Analysis; Residence Characteristics - statistics & numerical data; Risk assessment; Risk Factors; Smoking - adverse effects; Womens health; United States; North America; America; Human; Evaluation; Migration; Mortality; Sex; Cardiovascular disease; Latinamerican; Coronary heart disease; Epidemiology; Ethnic group; Acculturation; Education; Risk factor; Cultural status; Sanitary surveillance; Public health
• ISSN: 0090-0036; 1541-0048
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.89.5.723

This study examined the extent to which cardiovascular disease risk factors differ among subgroups of Mexican Americans living in the United States.
Using data from a national sample (1988-1994) of 1387 Mexican American women and 1404 Mexican American men, aged 25 to 64 years, we examined an estimate of coronary heart disease mortality risk and 5 primary cardiovascular disease risk factors: systolic blood pressure, body mass index, cigarette smoking, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Differences in risk were evaluated by country of birth and primary language spoken.
Estimated 10-year coronary heart disease mortality risk per 1000 persons, adjusted for age and education, was highest for US-born Spanish-speaking 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-born Spanish-speaking men and women was demonstrated for each of the 5 cardiovascular disease risk factors.
These findings illustrate the heterogeneity of the Mexican American population and identify a new group at substantial risk for cardiovascular disease and in need of effective heart disease prevention programs.