Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Hypertension Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control in the United States, 2013 to 2018

Author(s):  
Rahul Aggarwal ◽  
Nicholas Chiu ◽  
Rishi K. Wadhera ◽  
Andrew E. Moran ◽  
Inbar Raber ◽  
...  

We evaluated the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension (defined as a systolic blood pressure [BP]) ≥140 mm Hg, diastolic BP ≥90 mm Hg, or a self-reported use of an antihypertensive agent) among US adults, stratified by race/ethnicity. This analysis included 16 531 nonpregnant US adults (≥18 years) in the three National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cycles between 2013 and 2018. Race/ethnicity was defined by self-report as White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, or other Americans. Among 76 910 050 (74 449 985–79 370 115) US adults with hypertension, 48.6% (47.3%–49.8%, unadjusted) have controlled BP. When compared with BP control rates for White adults (49.0% [46.8%–51.2%], age-adjusted), BP control rates are lower in Black (39.2%, adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.71 [95% CI, 0.59–0.85], P <0.001), Hispanic (40.0%, aOR, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.58–0.88], P =0.003), and Asian (37.8%, aOR, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.55–0.84], P =0.001) Americans. Black adults have higher hypertension prevalence (45.3% versus 31.4%, aOR, 2.24 [95% CI, 1.97–2.56], P <0.001) but similar awareness and treatment rates as White adults. Hispanic adults have similar hypertension prevalence, but lower awareness (71.1% versus 79.1%, aOR, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.58–0.89], P =0.005) and treatment rates (60.5% versus 67.3%, aOR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.66–0.94], P =0.010) than White adults. Asian adults have similar hypertension prevalence, lower awareness (72.5% versus 79.1%, aOR, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.58–0.97], P =0.038) but similar treatment rates. Black, Hispanic, and Asian Americans have different vulnerabilities in the hypertension control cascade of prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control. These differences can inform targeted public health efforts to promote health equity and reduce the burden of hypertension in the United States.

Author(s):  
Jay J. Xu ◽  
Jarvis T. Chen ◽  
Thomas R. Belin ◽  
Ronald S. Brookmeyer ◽  
Marc A. Suchard ◽  
...  

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in the United States has disproportionately impacted communities of color across the country. Focusing on COVID-19-attributable mortality, we expand upon a national comparative analysis of years of potential life lost (YPLL) attributable to COVID-19 by race/ethnicity (Bassett et al., 2020), estimating percentages of total YPLL for non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Natives, contrasting them with their respective percent population shares, as well as age-adjusted YPLL rate ratios—anchoring comparisons to non-Hispanic Whites—in each of 45 states and the District of Columbia using data from the National Center for Health Statistics as of 30 December 2020. Using a novel Monte Carlo simulation procedure to perform estimation, our results reveal substantial racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19-attributable YPLL across states, with a prevailing pattern of non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics experiencing disproportionately high and non-Hispanic Whites experiencing disproportionately low COVID-19-attributable YPLL. Furthermore, estimated disparities are generally more pronounced when measuring mortality in terms of YPLL compared to death counts, reflecting the greater intensity of the disparities at younger ages. We also find substantial state-to-state variability in the magnitudes of the estimated racial/ethnic disparities, suggesting that they are driven in large part by social determinants of health whose degree of association with race/ethnicity varies by state.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate E Dibble ◽  
Avonne E Connor

Abstract PurposeTo outline the association between race/ethnicity and poverty status and perceived anxiety and depressive symptomologies among BRCA1/2-positive United States (US) women to identify high-risk groups of mutation carriers from medically underserved backgrounds.Methods211 BRCA1/2-positive women from medically underserved backgrounds were recruited through national Facebook support groups and completed an online survey. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using multivariable logistic regression for associations between race/ethnicity, poverty status, and self-reported moderate-to-severe anxiety and depressive symptoms.ResultsWomen ranged in age (18–75, M = 39.5, SD = 10.6). Most women were non-Hispanic white (NHW) (67.2%) and were not impoverished (76.7%). Hispanic women with BRCA1/2 mutations were 6.11 times more likely to report moderate-to-severe anxiety (95% CI, 2.16–17.2, p = 0.001) and 4.28 times more likely to report moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (95% CI, 1.98–9.60, p = < 0.001) than NHW women with BRCA1/2. Associations were not statistically significant among other minority women. Women living in poverty were significantly less likely to report moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms than women not in poverty (aOR, 0.42, 95% CI, 0.18–0.95, p = 0.04).ConclusionHispanic women with BRCA1/2 mutations from medically underserved backgrounds are an important population at increased risk for worse anxiety and depressive symptomology. Our findings among Hispanic women with BRCA1/2 mutations add to the growing body of literature focused on ethnic disparities experienced across the cancer control continuum.


ESC CardioMed ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 2895-2898
Author(s):  
Bert-Jan van den Born ◽  
Charles Agyemang

Worldwide, large differences exist in the prevalence of hypertension and hypertension-related complications, both along geographic boundaries and between different ethnic groups. Urbanization and dietary changes have led to a genuine increase in hypertension prevalence in many low- and middle-income countries, whereas migration has been associated with disparities in hypertension prevalence, awareness, and control in different, large multi-ethnic populations in Europe and the United States. Depending on the geographic area and definition of ethnicity, results can be quite heterogeneous and are susceptible to generalization. However, data in both Europe and the United States consistently show higher prevalence rates of hypertension and hypertension-related complications in populations of West African descent. These ethnic differences in hypertension susceptibility may in part be attributable to quantitative differences in other risk factors such as obesity and dietary salt intake, but may also relate to differences in pathophysiological traits, particularly increased salt sensitivity and vascular contractility. This may also explain the better blood pressure-lowering potential of salt restriction and of pharmacological treatment with diuretics and calcium channel blocking agents, whereas renin–angiotensin system blockers and beta-blocking agents are in general less effective. The European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology Guidelines recommend to start with calcium channel blockers or a thiazide diuretic for the treatment of hypertension in sub-Saharan African populations if no other compelling indications are present, while there is a lack of evidence that ethnicity should influence the preference for particular blood pressure-lowering combinations. The realization that ethnic differences in hypertension prevalence and treatment response exist may help to increase our understanding of the complex pathophysiology of hypertension and improve strategies aimed at the selection and control of hypertensive patients with different ethnic background.


Author(s):  
Matthew D. Moore ◽  
Anne E. Brisendine ◽  
Martha S. Wingate

Objective This study was aimed to examine differences in infant mortality outcomes across maternal age subgroups less than 20 years in the United States with a specific focus on racial and ethnic disparities. Study Design Using National Center for Health Statistics cohort-linked live birth–infant death files (2009-2013) in this cross-sectional study, we calculated descriptive statistics by age (<15, 15–17, and 18–19 years) and racial/ethnic subgroups (non-Hispanic white [NHW], non-Hispanic black [NHB], and Hispanic) for infant, neonatal, and postneonatal mortality. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were calculated by race/ethnicity and age. Preterm birth and other maternal characteristics were included as covariates. Results Disparities were greatest for mothers <15 and NHB mothers. The risk of infant mortality among mothers <15 years compared to 18 to 19 years was higher regardless of race/ethnicity (NHW: aOR = 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06–1.85; NHB: aOR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04–1.56; Hispanic: aOR = 1.36, 95%CI: 1.07–1.74). Compared to NHW mothers, NHB mothers had a consistently higher risk of infant mortality (15–17 years: aOR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.03–1.21; 18–19 years: aOR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.15–1.27), while Hispanic mothers had a consistently lower risk (15–17 years: aOR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.66–0.78; 18–19 years: aOR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.70–0.78). Adjusting for preterm birth had a greater influence than maternal characteristics on observed group differences in mortality. For neonatal and postneonatal mortality, patterns of disparities based on age and race/ethnicity differed from those of overall infant mortality. Conclusion Although infants born to younger mothers were at increased risk of mortality, variations by race/ethnicity and timing of death existed. When adjusted for preterm birth, differences in risk across age subgroups declined and, for some racial/ethnic groups, disappeared. Key Points


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingxuan Zhao ◽  
Kimberly D Miller ◽  
Farhad Islami ◽  
Zhiyuan Zheng ◽  
Xuesong Han ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Little is known about disparities in economic burden due to premature cancer deaths by race or ethnicity in the United States. This study aimed to compare person-years of life lost (PYLLs) and lost earnings due to premature cancer deaths by race/ethnicity. Methods PYLLs were calculated using recent national cancer death and life expectancy data. PYLLs were combined with annual median earnings to generate lost earnings. We compared PYLLs and lost earnings among individuals who died at age 16-84 years due to cancer by racial/ethnic groups (non-Hispanic [NH] White, NH Black, NH Asian or Pacific Islander, and Hispanic). Results In 2015, PYLLs due to all premature cancer deaths were 6 512 810 for NH Whites, 1 196 709 for NH Blacks, 279 721 for NH Asian or Pacific Islanders, and 665 968 for Hispanics, translating to age-standardized lost earning rates (per 100 000 person-years) of $34.9 million, $43.5 million, $22.2 million, and $24.5 million, respectively. NH Blacks had higher age-standardized PYLL and lost earning rates than NH Whites for 13 of 19 selected cancer sites. If age-specific PYLL and lost earning rates for NH Blacks were the same as those of NH Whites, 241 334 PYLLs and $3.2 billion lost earnings (22.6% of the total lost earnings among NH Blacks) would have been avoided. Disparities were also observed for average PYLLs and lost earnings per cancer death for all cancers combined and 18 of 19 cancer sites. Conclusions Improving equal access to effective cancer prevention, screening, and treatment will be important in reducing the disproportional economic burden associated with racial/ethnic disparities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd M. Everson ◽  
Megan M. Niedzwiecki ◽  
Daniell Toth ◽  
Maria Tellez-Plaza ◽  
Haoran Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to identify conditional relationships between multiple metal biomarkers that predict systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the non-institutionalized United States adult population below the age of 60. Methods We used inorganic exposure biomarker data and blood pressure data from three cycles (1999–2004) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to construct regression trees for blood pressure among adults ages 20–60 (adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, race, and smoking status) to identify predictors of systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). We also considered relationships among non-Hispanic black, Mexican-American, and white adults separately. Results The following metal exposure biomarkers were conditionally predictive of SBP and/or DBP in the full sample: antimony (Sb), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), cesium (Cs), lead (Pb), tungsten (W) and molybdenum (Mo). The highest average SBP (> 120 mmHg) was observed among those with low Sb (≤ 0.21 μg/dL) high Cd (> 0.22 μg/g creatinine) and high Pb (> 2.55 μg/dL) biomarkers. Those with the highest average DBP had high urinary W levels (> 0.10 μg/g creatinine) in combination with either urinary Sb > 0.17 μg/g creatinine or those with urinary Sb ≤ 0.17 μg/g creatinine, but with high blood Pb levels (> 1.35 μg/dL). Predictors differed by ethnicity, with Cd as the main predictor of SBP among non-Hispanic black adults, and Pb not selected by the algorithm as a predictor of SBP among non-Hispanic white adults. Conclusions Combinations of metal biomarkers have different apparent relationships with blood pressure. Additional research in toxicological experimental models and in epidemiological studies is warranted to evaluate the suggested possible toxicological interactions between Sb, Cd, and Pb; and between W, Sb, and Pb; for cardiovascular (e.g., blood pressure) health. We also think future epidemiological research on inorganic exposure sets in relation to health outcomes like blood pressure might benefit from stratification by race and ethnicity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay J. Xu ◽  
Jarvis T. Chen ◽  
Thomas R. Belin ◽  
Ronald S. Brookmeyer ◽  
Marc A. Suchard ◽  
...  

AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in the United States has disproportionately impacted communities of color across the country. Focusing on COVID-19-attributable mortality, we expand upon a national comparative analysis of years of potential life lost (YPLL) attributable to COVID-19 by race/ethnicity (Bassett et al., 2020), estimating percentages of total YPLL for non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, non-Hispanic Asians, and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Natives, contrasting them with their respective percent population shares, as well as age-adjusted YPLL rate ratios – anchoring comparisons to non-Hispanic Whites – in each of 45 states and the District of Columbia using data from the National Center for Health Statistics as of December 30, 2020. Using a novel Monte Carlo simulation procedure to quantify estimation uncertainty, our results reveal substantial racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19-attributable YPLL across states, with a prevailing pattern of non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics experiencing disproportionately high and non-Hispanic Whites experiencing disproportionately low COVID-19-attributable YPLL. Furthermore, observed disparities are generally more pronounced when measuring mortality in terms of YPLL compared to death counts, reflecting the greater intensity of the disparities at younger ages. We also find substantial state-to-state variability in the magnitudes of the estimated racial/ethnic disparities, suggesting that they are driven in large part by social determinants of health whose degree of association with race/ethnicity varies by state.


Author(s):  
Deepa Dongarwar ◽  
Brisa Garcia ◽  
Nisha Jacob ◽  
Hamisu Salihu

There has been an increase in the incidence of Myocardial Infarction (MI) among pregnant women in the United States. There have been no studies examining the trends in the rates of gestational MI hospitalizations by race/ethnicity;and therefore, we undertook this study. No prior studies have examined the trends in the rates of gestational MI hospitalizations by race and ethnicity. In this study, we examined temporal trends of MI-related hospitalizations among pregnant women using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) dataset from 2009 to 2018. We performed joinpoint regression analyses to assess trends in the rates of MI by race/ethnicity during the study period. Overall, there was an increase in the rates of MI among pregnant women during the study period (from 9.7 per 100,000 hospitalizations in 2009 to 18.1 per 100,000 hospitalizations in 2018) with an average annual percentage change (AAPC) of 7.2, (95% Confidence Interval (CI)=[4.0, 10.5]. The overall rate of MI was highest in non-Hispanic (NH)-Blacks and the greatest increments in rates of MI-related hospitalizations were noted in NH-Blacks during 2013-2018, and in Hispanics during the entire study period (2009-2018). NH-Blacks and Hispanics bear a disproportionately high burden of MI among pregnant women in the US. More worrisome is the first-ever reported finding in this study of a widening Black-White disparity in MI-related hospitalizations over the past decade.   Copyright © Dongarwar et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0.


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