Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 14, Issue 6, 2012, Pages 918-925

Immigration disparities in cardiovascular disease risk factor awareness (Article)

Langellier B.A.* , Garza J.R. , Glik D. , Prelip M.L. , Brookmeyer R. , Roberts C.K. , Peters A. , Ortega A.N.
  • a Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA, School of Public Health, P.O. Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, United States
  • b Department of Health Services, UCLA, School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, United States
  • c Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA, School of Public Health, P.O. Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, United States
  • d Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA, School of Public Health, P.O. Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, United States
  • e Department of Biostatistics, UCLA, School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, United States
  • f Translational Sciences Section, UCLA, School of Nursing, Los Angeles, CA, United States
  • g USC, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States
  • h Institute for Survey Research, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Abstract

The association between immigration status and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor awareness is unknown. Using physical examination-based data and participants' self-report of prior diagnosis, we assessed immigration-based disparities in awareness of diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and overweight among 12,124 participants in the 2003-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Unawareness of CVD risk factors is high among all groups, but tends to be higher among foreign-born English and non-English speaking participants than among US-born participants. After adjusting for demographic factors and access to health care, foreign-born participants appear more likely to be unaware of their hypertension and overweight than US-born participants. Immigrants are more likely than those born in the US to be unaware of their CVD risk factors, and therefore may be less motivated to seek treatment and modify their behavior to prevent negative CVD outcomes. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011.

Author Keywords

Cardiovascular diseases Obesity risk factors Hypertension Epidemiology

Index Keywords

psychological aspect Cardiovascular Diseases Continental Population Groups human middle aged statistics Aged ethnology United States Young Adult Humans cardiovascular disease male Emigrants and Immigrants female Socioeconomic Factors risk factor Risk Factors socioeconomics race Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Article nutrition adult migration Nutrition Surveys Healthcare Disparities health care disparity attitude to health
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84871993735&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-011-9566-2&partnerID=40&md5=ac99ddb7f53656c4881a045a441d86bd
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-011-9566-2
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 19
Original Language: English