title: Racial differences in ideal cardiovascular health metrics among Mississippi adults, 2009 Mississippi Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death and health disparities in Mississippi. Identifying populations with poor cardiovascular health may help direct interventions toward those populations disproportionately affected, which may ultimately increase cardiovascular health and decrease prominent disparities. Our objective was to assess racial differences in the prevalence of cardiovascular health metrics among Mississippi adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from the 2009 Mississippi Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to determine age-standardized prevalence estimates and 95% confidence intervals of cardiovascular health metrics among 2,003 black and 5,125 white adults. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between race and cardiovascular health metrics. The mean cardiovascular metrics score and percentage of the population with ideal and poor cardiovascular health were calculated by subgroup.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 1.3% of blacks and 2.6% of whites exhibited ideal levels of all 7 cardiovascular health metrics. The prevalence of 4 of the 7 cardiovascular health metrics was significantly lower among the total population of blacks than among whites, including a normal body mass index (20.8% vs 32.3%, P < .001), no history of diabetes (85.1% vs 91.3%, P < .001), no history of hypertension (53.9% vs 67.9%, P < .001), and physical activity (52.8% vs 62.2%, P < .001). The logistic regression models revealed significant race-by-sex interactions; differences between blacks and whites for normal body mass index, no history of diabetes mellitus, and no current smoking were found among women but not among men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiovascular health is poor among Mississippi adults overall, and racial differences exist.
authors.affiliation: Mississippi State Department of Health, 570 East Woodrow Wilson, Jackson, MS 39215-1700. Email: Vanessa.Short@msdh.state.ms.us.
authors.forename: Vanessa L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Short
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gamble
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mendy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008922:Mississippi / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult