Disaggregating 15-Year Trends in Cardiovascular Risk among U.S. Asian Subgroups.

BACKGROUND

Asian adults in the U.S. face increased burdens of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, trends in cardiovascular health among Asian subgroups remain understudied.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to examine 15-year trends in CVD risk factors and CVD among Chinese, Filipino, and Asian Indian adults living in the U.S.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective secondary analysis using data from the 2004-2018 National Health Interview Survey. Age-standardized prevalence rates were calculated for eight variables: hypertension, type 2 diabetes, overweight/obesity, short sleep, alcohol use, smoking, insufficient physical activity (PA), and CVD (defined as having coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular conditions). Annual percent change and average annual percent change were employed to summarize and compare the trends of each variable over 15 years.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 14,073 adults, with the majority aged 65 years or older and half being female. Filipino adults showed the highest prevalence for most variables, except for diabetes and insufficient PA, compared to Chinese and Asian Indian adults. From 2004 to 2018, Asian adults overall experienced increases in the prevalence of diabetes, overweight/obesity, and alcohol use, and decreases in the prevalence of smoking and insufficient PA. Specifically, Chinese adults exhibited significant upward trends in short sleep. Asian Indian adults exhibited upward trends in overweight/obesity and alcohol use, but downward trends in smoking and insufficient PA. Filipino adults demonstrated similar trends to Asian Indian adults in alcohol use and smoking. No significant trends were found for other study variables in all three groups.

DISCUSSION: U.S. Asian adults from different cultural backgrounds experience varying patterns of cardiovascular health. Public health strategies are recommended to be customized to address the specific cardiovascular risk profiles of each Asian subgroup.