Immigrant status and cardiovascular risk over time: results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Félice Lê-Scherban, Drexel University; Sandra S. Albrecht, University of North Carolina; Alain Bertoni, Wake Forest University; Namratha Kandula, Northwestern University; Neil Mehta, Emory University; Ana V. Diez Roux, Drexel University
• Language: English
• Date: 2016-06-01
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2016 Elsevier Inc.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2016.04.008
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Annals of Epidemiology
• ISSN: 1047-2797
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 6
• Start Page: 429
• End Page: 435
• Grant/Funding Information: MESA is supported by contracts N01-HC-95159 through N01-HC-95169 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).; This research was supported by the grant R01 HL071759 from NHLBI and by the Michigan Center for Integrative Approaches to Health Disparities (P60 MD002249) funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
• Keywords: Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; HEALTH; CORONARY-HEART-DISEASE; Science & Technology; MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION; ASIAN-AMERICANS; US; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Immigrants; Cardiovascular events; PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY; ADULTS; HISPANIC PARADOX; ACCULTURATION; UNITED-STATES; Cardiovascular risk factors; Cohort studies
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Epidemiology; Health Sciences, Public Health

Abstract

Purpose: Despite cross-sectional evidence that foreign-born United States (US) residents often have better health than US-born residents of similar race and/or ethnicity, we know little about overall cardiovascular risk progression over time among immigrants as they age in the US. Methods: Using longitudinal data from the Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis on 6446 adults aged 45-84 years at baseline, we examined how nativity and length of US residence related to change in cardiovascular health (CVH) and cardiovascular event incidence over 11-year follow-up. CVH was measured using the American Heart Association's CVH measure (range, 0-14; higher is better). Results: Immigrants, particularly those with shorter US residence, had better baseline CVH and lower cardiovascular event incidence than the US born. Baseline CVH scores ranged from 8.67 (8.42-8.92) among immigrants living in the US less than 10 years to 7.86 (7.76-7.97) among the US born. However, recent immigrants experienced the largest CVH declines over time: 10-year declines ranged from -1.04 (-1.27 to -0.80) among immigrants living in the US less than 10 years at baseline to -0.47 (-0.52 to -0.42) among the US born. Conclusions: Public health prevention efforts targeting new immigrants may help slow the deterioration of CVH and reduce future cardiovascular risk.