Cardiovascular disease risk factors in Spain: A comparison of native and immigrant populations.

Elena Rodriguez-Alvarez,Nerea Lanborena,Luisa N Borrell,Bernardo Lanza Queiroz

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0242740

Elena Rodriguez-Alvarez, Nerea Lanborena + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242740

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Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CDV) risk factors are highly prevalent among adults with low social class in Spain. However, little is known on how these factors are distributed in the immigrant population, a socio-economic disadvantaged population. Thus, this study aims to examine inequalities in CVD risk factors among immigrant and native populations. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Spanish National Health Survey 2017 and used log-binomial regression to quantify the association of immigrant status on CVD risk factors among adults aged 25–64 years. The probabilities of having at least three CVD risk factors were higher for immigrants from Eastern Europe (PR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.15–1.35) and lower for immigrants from Africa (PR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.69–0.89) when compared with natives. The association of immigrant status and CVD risk factors varies with educational attainment (p-interaction = 0.001). Immigrants from Eastern Europe with low educational attainment have a higher probability of having at least three CVD risk factors compared with their native counterparts. In contrast, immigrants from Africa and Latin America with low educational attainment had a protective effect against having at least three CVD risk relative to natives. Health prevention and promotion strategies to reduce the burden of CVD taking should account for educational attainment given its differential effect among the immigrant population in Spain.

Highlights

Given that in Spain, CVD is the main cause of mortality [25], cardiovascular risk factors are more common in individual from low social class [26], and the high proportion of immigrants in the population, who are often of low socioeconomic position [20], this study aims to examine inequalities in CVD risk factors among immigrant and native populations using data from the 2017 Spanish National Health Survey; and whether these inequalities vary with educational attainment
Immigrants were more likely to be in the manual occupational social class, unemployed and lived with a partner, except for those from Latin America than natives
There were no differences in the prevalence of diabetes between natives and immigrant populations, the highest prevalence of diabetes was observed among immigrants from Africa

Summary

Objectives

This study aims to examine inequalities in CVD risk factors among immigrant and native populations. Given that in Spain, CVD is the main cause of mortality [25], cardiovascular risk factors are more common in individual from low social class [26], and the high proportion of immigrants in the population, who are often of low socioeconomic position [20], this study aims to examine inequalities in CVD risk factors among immigrant and native populations using data from the 2017 Spanish National Health Survey; and whether these inequalities vary with educational attainment

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