The Cardiometabolic Health of African Immigrants in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Mensah, Danielle; Ogungbe, Oluwabunmi; Turkson‐Ocran, Ruth‐Alma; Onuoha, Chioma; Byiringiro, Samuel; Nmezi, Nwakaego A; Mannoh, Ivy; Wecker, Elisheva; Madu, Ednah; Commodore‐Mensah, Yvonne

doi:10.3390/ijerph19137959

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 66 publications

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“…Известно, что величина АД связана с возрастом, ИМТ и полом обследованных [1]. Половые различия распространенности АГ уже доказаны для африканских иммигрантов в страны западной Европы и США [15]. В российской популяции среди мужчин в возрасте 25-65 лет распространенность АГ также выше, чем среди женщин [1].…”

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Comparative characteristics of lifestyle, office and ambulatory blood pressure among students from Tropical Africa, India and Russia

Mangileva

2023

Cardiovasc Ther Prev

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Aim. To study the dependence of office and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) level in students with their ethnicity.Material and methods. A total of 110 students were examined as follows: 35 from Russia, 34 from Tropical Africa and 41 from India. Lifestyle was studied using a standardized questionnaire. All students underwent measurement of office blood pressure and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) using the BPLabH system (Russia).Results. Students from Russia were more likely to lead a sedentary lifestyle than from Africa (p=0,001) or India (p=0,027). Students from Tropical Africa added salt to food more often than Indians (p=0,03). Office blood pressure measured in the first half of the day was within the normal range for all subjects and did not differ between different ethnic groups. According to ABPM, there were no intergroup differences in systolic blood pressure during the daytime and 24 hours. Diastolic blood pressure of Africans during the daytime (p=0,029) and 24 hours (p=0,002) was higher than in Russians. Nighttime systolic and diastolic blood pressure of African students was significantly higher than in Russian (p=0,006 and p<0,0001, respectively) or Indians (p=0,008 and p=0,006, respectively). Africans showed a smaller blood pressure decrease at night and were more likely to have masked hypertension at night than Russians (p=0,004) or Indians (p=0,046).Conclusion. Office BP did not vary by ethnicity. With ABPM, no differences in blood pressure levels were found between Indian and Russian students. African students had higher blood pressure at night, including masked hypertension, than students from India or Russia.

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Comparative characteristics of lifestyle, office and ambulatory blood pressure among students from Tropical Africa, India and Russia

Mangileva

2023

Cardiovasc Ther Prev

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African Immigrants' perceptions and attitudes toward cardiovascular health

Commodore‐Mensah,

Ogungbe,

Broni

et al. 2024

Journal of Advanced Nursing

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AimTo explore perceptions and attitudes of African immigrants (Ghanaians, Nigerians, Liberians, and Sierra Leoneans) in the Baltimore‐Washington, DC, metropolitan area toward cardiovascular health.MethodsThis was a qualitative study among African immigrants recruited from religious and community‐based organizations in the Baltimore‐Washington metro area. A purposive sample of 66 African immigrants originally from Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone completed a sociodemographic survey and participated in focus group discussions. Focus group data were analysed using qualitative description to develop emergent themes.ResultsA total of 66 African immigrants with a mean (±standard deviation) age of 51 (±11.8) years participated in the focus group discussions. Fifty percent were women, 91% had at least a bachelor's degree, 84% were employed, 80% had health insurance, and 75% were married/cohabitating. The majority of the participants (74%) had lived in the US for 10 years or more, 44% of them had hypertension, and 12% had diabetes. Findings from the focus group discussions revealed: gender differences in descriptions of cardiovascular health and healthiness, an emotional response associated with cardiovascular disease (evoking fear and anxiety and associated with family secrecy), positive and negative lifestyle changes after migration, cardiovascular screening behaviours, and facilitators and barriers to cardiovascular disease prevention practices and heart‐healthy lifestyle.ConclusionsParticipants understood health to be a holistic state of well‐being. Secrecy in disclosing their cardiovascular disease diagnoses informed by historical socio‐cultural belief systems, perceived racial discrimination by healthcare providers, communication and health literacy barriers, economic barriers of holding multiple jobs and the exorbitant cost of heart‐healthy foods were identified as some barriers to achieving optimal cardiovascular health in this immigrant population.ImpactOur study expanded on the body of knowledge on African immigrants' perceptions and attitudes toward cardiovascular health. Addressing this knowledge gap will provide important intervention opportunities targeted at improving cardiovascular health outcomes in this population.Patient or Public ContributionNo patient or public contribution.

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Conducting Community-Based Research in An African Immigrant Population: Lessons Learned

Gona,

Kieran,

Durning

et al. 2024

Ethnicity &Amp; Disease

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Background Although small, the African immigrant population is one of the fastest growing immigrant populations in the United States. Emerging research indicates a high prevalence of noncommunicable preventable chronic conditions in this population. Like other African Americans, African immigrants are mistrustful of the health care system, hampering efforts for prevention and intervention research. Purpose To describe our experiences conducting 2 studies in an African immigrant community, discuss the lessons learned, and provide advice to researchers interested in conducting research in similar populations. Design The 2 published studies for which we derive lessons learned for this paper were a cross-sectional study and a qualitative study using focus group interviews. Participants included Zimbabwean immigrants in the Eastern United States recruited at religious festivals and community events. The 2 studies enrolled a total of 135 participants. Results Of our recruitment goal of 120 in the first study, we enrolled only 98 despite numerous efforts. However, after strategically partnering with a community advisory board (CAB), in the second study, we met our recruitment goal within 4 months. With the CAB, we recruited a larger proportion of men (38% versus 24%). Without the CAB, 350 individuals agreed to participate, but only 98 (28%) returned the questionnaire, whereas with the CAB, 40 agreed to participate, and 37 (93%) successfully completed the study. Conclusion Conducting health-related research in immigrants requires strategic partnerships with the community to build strong relationships between the research team and the target community. By nurturing these relationships, research teams can effectively access this hard-to-reach population and achieve high participation.

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The Cardiometabolic Health of African Immigrants in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Cited by 4 publications

References 66 publications

Comparative characteristics of lifestyle, office and ambulatory blood pressure among students from Tropical Africa, India and Russia

Comparative characteristics of lifestyle, office and ambulatory blood pressure among students from Tropical Africa, India and Russia

African Immigrants' perceptions and attitudes toward cardiovascular health

Conducting Community-Based Research in An African Immigrant Population: Lessons Learned

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