title: Cardiovascular Disease in Hispanics/Latinos in the United States.
abstract: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of mortality in the United States and Western world for all groups with one exception: CVDs are the number 2 cause of death for Hispanics/Latinos behind cancer with overall cancer rates lower for Latinos relative to non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs). Despite a significantly worse risk factor profile marked by higher rates of traditional and non-traditional determinants, some CVD prevalence and mortality rates are significantly lower among Latinos relative NHWs. These findings support a need for greater understanding of CVDs specifically among Latinos in order to better document prevalence, appropriately model risk and resilience, and improve targeting of intervention efforts. The current aim is to provide a state-of-the-science review of CVDs amongst Latinos including a review of the epidemiological evidence, risk factor prevalence, and evaluation of the breadth and quality of the data. Questions concerning the generalizability of current risk models, the Hispanic paradox as it relates to CVDs, contributing psychosocial and sociocultural factors, and future directions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Pelbreton C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Balfour
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Arizona.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Promotion and Behavioral Science, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University.
authors.forename: Gregory A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Talavera
authors.affiliation: Divison of Preventive Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Allison
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine; Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Carlos J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Disparities; Hispanic/Latino; Race/Ethnicity; cardiovascular risk factors