Determinants of stroke prevalence in the southeastern region of the United States

Abstract

The southeast of the United States (USA) is a high stroke prevalence area otherwise known as the “Stroke Belt” in order to characterize the increased stroke morbidity and mortality rates found there. The purpose of this study was to characterize the relationship between socio-cultural factors and dietary habits related to stroke occurrence within the affected states. The 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data was analyzed for both bivariate and multivariate models aimed at studying the interaction between socio-cultural factors and the prevalence pattern of stroke in the southeastern area of the USA. Overall, 4% of individuals who lived in the US southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi had stroke. Of these, Mississippi had the most stroke victims, followed by Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida, with 5.1%, 4.7%, 4.5%, 4.3%, and 3.4% respectively (χ2 = 18.68 and p value < 0.01). The logistic regression showed that individuals who consumed vegetables every day were less likely to be stroke victims than those who did not consume vegetables on a daily basis, with aOR = 0.74; CI = 0.59–0.91; p value < 0.01. Surprisingly, individuals who drank alcohol were less likely to report stroke than those who did not drink alcohol (aOR = 0.63; CI = 0.51–0.79; p value < 0.001). Characterization of factors associated with stroke prevalence in a region of the USA known for its adverse stroke rates is essential for offsetting the burden of this public health issue and for promoting health.