Comparison of coronary heart disease risk factors in foreign-born and United States-born Afro Caribbean Americans and African Americans in South Florida

Abstract

and sodium (mg) (2245.2 1238.3 and 2402.6 1359.3 vs.1838.0 983.4) and less than 2 servings of fruits per day (%) (86.9 and 94.9 vs. 78.5). These differences were more vi pronounced in males compared to females and remained after correcting for age. Also, the percentages of USBCA and AA participants who were obese (17.1% and 23.0%, respectively) were significantly (p< 0.05) higher compared to FBCA (7.6%) participants.More USBCA and AA than FBCA individuals smoked cigarettes (4.8% and 6.6% vs.0.0%) and consumed alcoholic beverages (29.0% and 50.8% vs. 24.2%). The mean hs-CRP level of the AA participants (2.2 2.7 mg/L) was significantly (p< 0.01) higher compared to the FBCA (1.1 1.3 mg/L) and USBCA (1.3 1.6 mg/L) participants.The FBCA participants had a better CHD risk profile than the USBCA and AA participants. Focus should be placed on the ethnic and cultural differences in a population to better understand the variations in health indicators among different ethnic groups of the same race. This focus can provide healthcare professionals and policy planners with the opportunity to develop culturally sensitive programs and strategies for the improvement of health outcomes.vii