Changes in blood pressure and risk factors for cardiovascular disease among older Mexican-Americans from 1982-1984 to 1993-1994.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the 10-year changes in blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors among older Mexican-Americans.


METHODS
Comparative analyses of the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES) and the Hispanic EPESE (Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly). Both of these were population-based studies using a multistage stratified probability sampling design of noninstitutionalized persons.


METHODS
Five US states in the southwest: Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.


METHODS
A total of 216 Mexican-Americans aged 65 to 74 from the 1982-1984 HHANES and 3050 Mexican-Americans aged 65+ from the 1993-1994 Hispanic EPESE.


METHODS
Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure; cigarette smoking; high levels of alcohol use; body mass index and obesity; self-reported heart attack, stroke, and diabetes; hypertension.


RESULTS
Among 65- to 74-year-old Mexican-Americans, there was a decrease over time in the percent of those who smoked cigarettes from 27.60% to 13.96% and a decrease in mean systolic blood pressure level. The percent of subjects categorized as obese or severely obese increased significantly, as did the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, increasing from 20.06% in 1982-1984 to 29.82% in 1993-1994. Mean diastolic blood pressure increased from 77.15 mm Hg in 1982-1984 to 81.21 mm Hg in 1993-1994.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest major changes in cardiovascular risk factors between 1982-1984 and 1993-1994 among older Mexican-Americans.
Department of Medicine, and Center on Aging, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555-0664, USA.
C A
CA
Stroup-Benham
K S
KS
Markides
D V
DV
Espino
J S
JS
Goodwin
D000368:Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001130:Arizona / Q000453:epidemiology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology*; D003120:Colorado / Q000453:epidemiology; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009516:New Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology