Acculturation and Hypertension Diagnoses Among Hispanics in California.

BACKGROUND: Among U.S. Hispanic immigrants and all other Hispanics living in the USA, heart disease is the leading cause of death. Meanwhile, the prevalence of hypertension among Mexican Americans, a subgroup of the U.S. Hispanic population, is rising. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of hypertension diagnosis and to determine the association between acculturation and hypertension among Mexican Americans and Other Hispanics in California. METHODS: Using data from the 2014 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), we performed multivariable logistic regression to identify whether acculturation (measured by self-reported duration of U.S. residence) predicted hypertension diagnoses, after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, poverty level), body mass index, health insurance coverage, and cigarette smoking. RESULTS: Of 3793 Hispanics who participated in the survey, 81.8% were Mexican Americans, and 18.2% were Other Hispanics. The prevalence of hypertension among Hispanics was 24.0% (95% CI: 21.5-26.7), which was lower than that of African Americans (40.3%, 95% CI 34.2-46.7) and Whites (31.8%, 95% CI: 29.7-34.0). In the multivariable regression analysis, acculturation was associated with hypertension for Mexican Americans (aOR = 1.71, 95% CI, 1.24-2.36) and Other Hispanics (aOR = 2.77, 95% CI, 1.71-4.51). CONCLUSION: The results show a positive association between acculturation in the USA and hypertension diagnoses among Mexican Americans and Other Hispanics. The findings can help public health practitioners, medical providers, policymakers, and others better understand the potential influences of acculturation on Hispanic immigrants' health and inform the creation of culturally sensitive health promotion materials.

Visualizing COVID-19 Mortality Rates and African-American Populations in the USA and Pennsylvania.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified African-Americans as having increased risk of COVID-19-associated mortality. Access to healthcare and related social determinants of health are at the core of this disparity. To explore the geographical links between race and COVID-19 mortality, we created descriptive maps of COVID-19 mortality rates in relation to the percentage of populations self-identifying as African-American across the USA, by state, and Pennsylvania (PA), by county. In addition, we used bivariate and logistic regression analyses to quantify the statistical relationship between these variables, and control for area-level demographic, healthcare access, and comorbidity risk factors. We found that COVID-19 mortality rates were generally higher in areas that had higher African-American populations, particularly in the northeast USA and eastern PA. These relationships were quantified through Pearson correlations showing significant positive associations at the state and county level. At the US state-level, percent African-American population was the only significant correlate of COVID-19 mortality rate. In PA at the county-level, higher percent African-American population was associated with higher COVID-19 mortality rate even after controlling for area-level confounders. More resources should be allocated to address high COVID-19 mortality rates among African-American populations.