Cardiovascular disease risk factors in the Hispanic/Latino population: lessons from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of mortality among Hispanics/Latinos residing in the United States (US), yet despite the rapid growth of this diverse population, there has been a dearth of objective, comprehensive data on prevalence of risk factors for CVD and other chronic diseases. The Hispanic Community Health Study/SOL) is the largest and most comprehensive cohort study to date/SOL) was initiated to address this gap in knowledge. This article reviews existing research on CVD risk factors among Hispanic/Latino adults of diverse background residing in the US, compares findings from HCHS/SOL with other representative samples on prevalence of major CVD risk factors in this population, and discusses the lessons learned thus far from HCHS/SOL. Baseline findings from this study demonstrate that sizeable burdens in CVD risk exist among all major Hispanic/Latino background groups in the US. At the same time, there are marked variations in rates of individual risk factors by Hispanic/Latino background groups. Comprehensive public health policies to lower CVD risk among those who have adverse levels of one or more risk factors, and to prevent development of CVD risk factors in the small proportion free of CVD risk are urgently needed to lower the future burden of CVD among the US Hispanic/Latino population.

Keywords: Cardiovascular risk factors; Disparities; Hispanic/Latino; Race/ethnicity.