Search

The relationship between loneliness and both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) has been understudied in U.S. Hispanics, a group at high risk for DM. We examined whether loneliness was associated with CVD and DM, and whether age, sex, marital status, and years in U.S moderated these associations. Participants were 5,313 adults (M (SD) age = 42.39 (15.01)) enrolled in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study. Loneliness was assessed via the 3-item Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. Level of reported loneliness was low. Loneliness was significantly associated with CVD: OR 1.10 (CI 1.01-1.20) and DM: OR 1.08 (CI 1.00-1.16) after adjusting for depression, demographics, body mass index, and smoking status. Age, sex, marital status, and years in U.S. did not moderate associations. Given that increased loneliness is associated with higher cardiometabolic disease prevalence beyond depressive symptoms, regardless of age, sex, marital status, or years in the U.S., Hispanic adults experiencing high levels of loneliness may be a subgroup at particularly elevated risk for CVD and DM.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of cardiovascular risk factors including elevated blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, impaired fasting glucose, and abdominal obesity, which disproportionately affects Hispanics/Latinos. The present study examined associations between perceived discrimination and MetS in Hispanic/Latino adults from various background groups (i.e., Dominican, Central American, Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South American)., Methods: Data were obtained from 5174 Hispanics/Latinos who participated in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) Sociocultural Ancillary Study. MetS components and covariates were measured at a baseline examination, and perceived discrimination was assessed within 9 months of baseline. Path analysis modeled associations of perceived discrimination with MetS prevalence and each of the six components of MetS, controlling for age, sex, income, acculturation, physical activity, diet, smoking, and alcohol use., Results: Among the full cohort, perceived discrimination was not associated with MetS prevalence in any of the models evaluated. Higher perceived discrimination at work/school was associated with larger waist circumference. When examining background groups separately, higher perceived ethnicity-associated threat was related to increased MetS prevalence only among individuals of Central American background. Differential patterns of association between perceived discrimination and MetS components were found for different background groups., Conclusions: Overall results suggested that perceived discrimination was not strongly or consistently associated with MetS among Hispanics/Latinos.

Background: Individuals with "metabolically healthy obesity" (MHO) phenotype (i.e., obesity and absence of cardiometabolic abnormalities: favorable levels of blood pressure, lipids, and glucose) experience lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those with "metabolically at-risk obesity" (MAO) phenotype (i.e., obesity with concurrent cardiometabolic abnormalities). Among Hispanic/Latino women and men with obesity, limited data exist on the correlates of and body composition measures associated with obesity phenotypes., Methods: Data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (2008-2011) were used to estimate the age-adjusted distribution of obesity phenotypes among 5,426 women and men (aged 20-74 years) with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ) and to compare characteristics between individuals with MHO and MAO phenotypes. Weighted Poisson regression models were used to examine cross-sectional associations between 1-standard deviation (SD) increase in body composition measures (i.e., body fat percentage, waist circumference, and body lean mass) and MHO phenotype prevalence., Results: The age-adjusted proportion of the MHO phenotype was low (i.e., 12.5% in women and 6.5% in men). In bivariate analyses, women and men with the MHO phenotype were more likely to be younger, have higher education and acculturation levels, report lower lifetime cigarette use, and have fasting insulin and waist circumference levels than MAO. Adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, among women, each 1-SD increase in body fat percentage, waist circumference, and lean body mass was, respectively, associated with a 21%, 33%, and 31% lower prevalence of the MHO phenotype. Among men, each 1-SD increase in waist circumference and lean body mass was, respectively, associated with a 20% and 15% lower prevalence of the MHO phenotype., Conclusions: We demonstrated that higher waist circumference and higher lean body mass were independently associated with a lower proportion of the MHO phenotype in Hispanic/Latino women and men. Findings support the need for weight reduction interventions to manage cardiometabolic health among Hispanics/Latinos.

Objective(s): Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have yielded inconsistent findings on the associations of social support networks with cardiovascular health in Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes. We examined the cross-sectional associations of structural social support and traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in a diverse sample of Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes., Research Design and Methods: This analysis included 2994 adult participants ages 18-74 with diabetes from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL - 2008-2011). Select items from the Social Network Inventory (SNI) were used to assess indices of structural social support, i.e. network size (number of children, parents, and in-laws) and frequency of familial contact. Standardized methods were used to measure abdominal obesity, BMI, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking status. Multivariate regression was used to examine associations of structural support with individual CVD risk factors with demographics, acculturation, physical health, and psychological ill-being (depressive symptoms and anxiety) included as covariates., Results: There were no significant cross-sectional associations of structural support indices with abdominal obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or smoking status. There was a marginally significant (OR: 1.05; 95%CI 0.99-1.11) trend toward higher odds of obesity in participants reporting a larger family unit (including children, parents, and in-laws) and those with closer ties with extended family relatives (OR: 1.04; 95%CI 0.99-1.09)., Conclusions: Structural social support was marginally associated with higher odds of obesity in Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes. Alternate forms of social support (e.g. healthcare professionals, friends, peers) should be further explored as potential markers of cardiac risk in Hispanics/Latinos with diabetes.

Sociocultural risk and protective factors for developing the metabolic syndrome (MetS), a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), have not been well studied in Hispanics/Latinos residing in the United States (U.S.). Religiosity and/or spirituality (R/S), important aspects of Hispanic/Latino culture, have been inversely associated with CVD and multiple CVD risk factors. Cross-sectional associations between dimensions of R/S and prevalent MetS, and its five individual components were examined using multiple logistic and linear regression, among 3278 U.S., middle-aged and older Hispanic/Latino adults from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study. Dimensions of R/S were not associated with presence of the MetS. Certain dimensions of Spiritual Well-being (Meaning, Peace, Faith), and frequency of non-organizational religious activity were weakly but significantly associated with one or more MetS components including waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, and systolic blood pressure. R/S variables were not associated with triglycerides, fasting glucose or HDL cholesterol levels. Prospective, longitudinal studies are needed to gain a deeper understanding of the nature of the relationship between R/S and health risk factors in U.S. Hispanics/Latinos.

Studies show that cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are correlated with psychological distress, yet research examining these relationships among Hispanic/Latinos is lacking. The population-based Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos enrolled a cohort of Hispanic/Latino adults (N=16,415) 18-74years of age at the time of recruitment, from four US metropolitan areas, between March 2008 and June 2011. Psychological distress (i.e., 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, 10 item Spielberger Trait Anxiety Scale, and a combined depression/anxiety score), socio-demographics (i.e., age, education, income, insurance, sex, and Hispanic/Latino background), acculturation (i.e., country of birth and language preference), and traditional CVD risk factors (i.e., dyslipidemia, obesity, current cigarette smoking, diabetes, and hypertension) were assessed at baseline. Associations between CVD risk factors and psychological distress measures by sex were examined using multiple linear regression models, accounting for complex survey design and sampling weights and controlling for socio-demographic and acculturation covariates. In adjusted analyses, all three psychological distress measures were significantly related to smoking. For females, greater psychological distress was significantly related to obesity and current smoking. For males, diabetes and current smoking were associated with psychological distress. For males and females, dyslipidemia and hypertension were not associated with psychological distress after adjusting for other factors. Elevated depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with CVD risk factors for Hispanic/Latino men and women. However, these results were not consistent across Hispanic/Latino groups. As promoted by the integrative care model, psychosocial concerns should be considered in research on CVD risk and chronic disease prevention., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Context: Major cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are leading causes of mortality among US Hispanic and Latino individuals. Comprehensive data are limited regarding the prevalence of CVD risk factors in this population and relations of these traits to socioeconomic status (SES) and acculturation., Objectives: To describe prevalence of major CVD risk factors and CVD (coronary heart disease [CHD] and stroke) among US Hispanic/Latino individuals of different backgrounds, examine relationships of SES and acculturation with CVD risk profiles and CVD, and assess cross-sectional associations of CVD risk factors with CVD., Design, Setting, and Participants: Multicenter, prospective, population-based Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos including individuals of Cuban (n = 2201), Dominican (n = 1400), Mexican (n = 6232), Puerto Rican (n = 2590), Central American (n = 1634), and South American backgrounds (n = 1022) aged 18 to 74 years. Analyses involved 15,079 participants with complete data enrolled between March 2008 and June 2011., Main Outcome Measures: Adverse CVD risk factors defined using national guidelines for hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and smoking. Prevalence of CHD and stroke were ascertained from self-reported data., Results: Age-standardized prevalence of CVD risk factors varied by Hispanic/Latino background; obesity and current smoking rates were highest among Puerto Rican participants (for men, 40.9% and 34.7%; for women, 51.4% and 31.7%, respectively); hypercholesterolemia prevalence was highest among Central American men (54.9%) and Puerto Rican women (41.0%). Large proportions of participants (80% of men, 71% of women) had at least 1 risk factor. Age- and sex-adjusted prevalence of 3 or more risk factors was highest in Puerto Rican participants (25.0%) and significantly higher (P < .001) among participants with less education (16.1%), those who were US-born (18.5%), those who had lived in the United States 10 years or longer (15.7%), and those who preferred English (17.9%). Overall, self-reported CHD and stroke prevalence were low (4.2% and 2.0% in men; 2.4% and 1.2% in women, respectively). In multivariate-adjusted models, hypertension and smoking were directly associated with CHD in both sexes as were hypercholesterolemia and obesity in women and diabetes in men (odds ratios [ORs], 1.5-2.2). For stroke, associations were positive with hypertension in both sexes, diabetes in men, and smoking in women (ORs, 1.7-2.6)., Conclusion: Among US Hispanic/Latino adults of diverse backgrounds, a sizeable proportion of men and women had adverse major risk factors; prevalence of adverse CVD risk profiles was higher among participants with Puerto Rican background, lower SES, and higher levels of acculturation.

Objective: To determine the scope, impact, and health care limitations relative to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the Latino-Hispanic population., Methods: We reviewed MEDLINE and PubMed for studies published from January 1995 to June 2005 using a combination of search terms (epidemiology, Hispanic, CVD) and chose articles for review on the basis of direct informational relevance to the current status of preventive treatment and barriers to health care for CVD among the Latino-Hispanic community. Additional information was gathered through a general Internet search by using Google with the aforementioned search terms and a review of the US Bureau of the Census and governmental statistics related to these terms found through governmental Web sites., Results: For proactive reduction of rates of CVD among the Latino-Hispanic population in the United States, preventive interventions should be targeted. Several barriers exist to providing effective preventive care to the Latino-Hispanic community. Medical research involving the Latino-Hispanic population is sparse, many Latino and Hispanic subjects do not have health insurance or a regular source of health care, and poor English-language ability and low education and literacy levels limit awareness and inhibit communications between Latino and Hispanic persons and the health care system., Conclusion: The prevalence and growth of CVD in the US Latino-Hispanic community provide a clear warning that the public health problem presented by CVD in the Latino-Hispanic population is already substantial and will become much more severe in the coming decades. Actions to manage and minimize this problem are urgently needed.

Introduction: Use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) has increased markedly. We examined how current ENDS users differ in perceptions of tobacco and ENDS-related health risks as a function of cigarette smoking status.Methods: We classified 1329 current ENDS users completing a national online survey based on cigarette smoking status, and employed linear and logistic regression to assess group differences in perceptions of tobacco-related health risks.Results: The sample consisted of 38% Current Cigarette Smokers, 40% Former Cigarette Smokers, and 22% Non-Smokers. Our targeted recruitment strategy yielded a balance of key descriptive variables across participants. Significant differences were observed in race, employment and marital status across cigarette smoking status, but not in gender, education, income, or sexual orientation. Participants reported considerable perceived knowledge about health risks associated with tobacco use, but less regarding ENDS use. Current Smokers rated ENDS use as riskier than Non-Smokers, and considered cigarette use less risky for both users and bystanders. Current Smokers were more likely to perceive cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer as the health risks associated with ENDS use. Former Smokers were more likely to perceive such risks with traditional tobacco use. Further, regardless of smoking status, perceived knowledge about the health risks of tobacco or ENDS use was positively associated with perceived likelihood of high risks of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.Conclusions: Among current ENDS users, there were significant differences in perceived health risks based on cigarette smoking history. Improved health messaging can be achieved when cigarette smoking status is taken into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]