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Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among Older Puerto Rican Adults Living in Massachusetts

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Abstract

There remains limited research on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in Puerto Rican adults. We compared lifestyle and CVD risk factors in Puerto Rican men and women with normal fasting glucose (NFG), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), or type 2 diabetes (T2D), and investigated achievement of American Diabetes Association (ADA) treatment goals in those with T2D. Baseline data from the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study were analyzed, which included 1,287 adults aged 45–75 years. Obesity, hyperglycemia, and dyslipidemia were prevalent and increased from NFG to IFG and T2D. In individuals without T2D, fasting insulin correlated significantly with body mass index. Achievement of ADA goals was poor; LDL cholesterol was most achieved (59.4%), followed by blood pressure (27.2%) and glycosylated hemoglobin (27.0%). Poverty, female sex, current alcohol use, and diabetes or anti-hypertensive medication use were associated with not meeting goals. Puerto Rican adults living in the Boston area showed several metabolic abnormalities and high CVD risk, likely due to pervasive obesity and socio-economic disparities.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health P01AG023394, and P50HL105185, and by the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service agreement number 58-1950-7-707.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA

    Maria I. Van Rompay & José M. Ordovás

  2. Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, 316 Robinson Hall, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Carmen Castaneda-Sceppa & Katherine L. Tucker

  3. Nutritional Epidemiology Program, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA

    Nicola M. McKeown

  4. Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA

    Nicola M. McKeown & José M. Ordovás

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  1. Maria I. Van Rompay
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  4. José M. Ordovás
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  5. Katherine L. Tucker
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Correspondence to Katherine L. Tucker.

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Van Rompay, M.I., Castaneda-Sceppa, C., McKeown, N.M. et al. Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among Older Puerto Rican Adults Living in Massachusetts. J Immigrant Minority Health 13, 825–833 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-011-9448-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-011-9448-7

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