Acculturation association with CV risk varies by subgroup in Asian population

Acculturation is associated with a higher prevalence of CV risk factors in Asian adults in the U.S., but the degree varies by subgroup, according to data published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

“In this analysis representing 7.5 million immigrant adults in the U.S., we found marked heterogeneity among Asian subgroups in the association between acculturation level and CV risk factors,” Yuemeng Li, BSN, researcher at the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education at Stanford University, and colleagues wrote.

In a cross-sectional study using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data, 6,051 Asian adults (mean age, 46.6 years; 53.9% women) were assessed for CV risk factors in association with acculturation. Participants were stratified by subgroup: 26.9% Asian Indian, 22.8% Chinese, 18.1% Filipino and 32.3% other Asian.

By analyzing self-identified non-Hispanic Asian respondents who were not born in the U.S., the researchers assessed acculturation based on three questions that determined whether respondents were considered low or high acculturation. The researchers also assessed self-reported CV risk factors like high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes,…