Abstract P126: The Cardiovascular Health of Afro-Caribbean Immigrants in New York City: a Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Afro-Caribbean (AC) immigrants are the largest black immigrant group in the U.S. and generally display better physical health than United States (U.S.) born blacks. Cardiovascular health (CVH) disparities among AC immigrant sub-groups are poorly understood. We examined the prevalence of CVH factors among AC immigrants (Guyanese, Haitian and Jamaican) relative to U.S. born blacks residing in New York City. We hypothesized that some AC immigrant sub-groups will have higher rates of CVH factors than U.S. born blacks. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of pooled data from the 2010-2014 New York City Community Health Survey administrations to estimate the prevalence of CVH and differences among AC immigrant sub-groups. We included 7678 non-Hispanic black participants from Haiti (n=291), Jamaica (n=1031), Guyana (n=369) and U.S. born blacks (5987). Logistic regression was used to examine the association between country of birth and CVH factors. The CVH factors were determined from the AHA’s CVH metrics. We adjusted the models for significant covariates using backward sequential selection. Results: In final adjusted models, in comparison to U.S. born blacks, Jamaican immigrants were more likely to self-report diabetes but were less likely to be overweight/obese. Guyanese immigrants were also less likely to be overweight/obese than U.S. born blacks. There were no significant differences between Haitian immigrants and U.S. born blacks for CVH factors. Conclusions: Although AC immigrants depict superior health status compared to U.S. born blacks, ethnic differences exist in CVH among AC immigrant sub-groups. Efforts to address cardiovascular health factors among black populations in the U.S. should consider ethnic differences that may provide information about the most at-risk populations for disease-specific programmatic or policy interventions.