Hypertension and diabetes prevalence among U.S. Hispanics by country of origin: The national health interview survey 2000-2005

Abstract

Background: Despite their diverse cultural origins, Hispanics in the US are generally studied as a single ethnic group. Objectives: 1) Assess demographic and disease-related differences among U.S. Hispanics by country of origin, and 2) Examine the mediating roles of socioeconomic status and acculturation on disease prevalence in these subgroups. Design and Participants: Using data from the 2000-2005 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), we compared characteristics of Mexican-Americans with Hispanics originally from: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central/South America, Cuba, and Dominican Republic (n=31,240). We stratified the analysis by foreign versus US-born Hispanic subgroups and modeled hypertension and diabetes prevalence, adjusting for demographic and acculturation differences. Main results: The six Hispanic subgroups were significantly diverse in all measured variables. Prevalence of hypertension (32%) and diabetes (15%) was highest in foreign-born Puerto Ricans. After adjusting for age, BMI, smoking, socioeconomic status and acculturation in foreign-born Hispanics, Puerto Ricans (OR=1.76 [95% CI: 1.23, 2.50], p=0.002) and Dominicans (OR=1.93 [1.24, 3.00], p=0.004), had higher prevalence of hypertension relative to Mexican-Americans. Adjusted diabetes prevalence among foreign-born Hispanics was half or less in Cubans (OR=0.42 [0.25, 0.68] p<0.001), Dominicans (OR=0.48 [0.26, 0.91], p=0.02) and Central/South Americans (OR=0.51 [0.33, 0.78], p=0.002) relative to Mexican-Americans. Among US-born Hispanic subgroups, Cubans had lower hypertension (OR=0.53, [0.33, 0.83], p=0.006) and Mexicans (OR=0.76 [0.60, 0.98], p=0.03) had lower diabetes prevalence compared to Mexican-Americans in adjusted models. Conclusions: The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes varies significantly among Hispanics by country of origin. Health disparities research should include representation from all Hispanic subgroups. © 2010 Society of General Internal Medicine.