Compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the United States, Hispanics had higher rates of ideal blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, were less likely to smoke, and were more likely to get recommended amounts of exercise. Like most Americans, however, too few Hispanics ate a heart-healthy diet and too many were overweight, the investigators found.
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 16,000 Hispanic-American adults of Cuban, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Central and South American origins to determine if they met the American Heart Association's seven cardiovascular health goals for 2020.
They found:
- 5 percent met six of the seven goals, which is higher than the national average of 3.8 percent.
- 76.6 percent never smoked or quit; nonsmoking was the most commonly achieved goal.
- 53.4 percent had ideal blood pressure, which is 21.9 percent higher than the national rate.
- Only 2 percent ate an ideal heart-healthy diet, which was the least achieved goal.
- More than half (51.2 percent) had ideal levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity, which is 23 percent higher than the national rate (39.5 percent). Still, less than one-fourth had an ideal body mass index compared to the national rate of 32 percent.
Source: American Heart Association, news release, Hispanics More Heart-Healthy Than Other Americans: Study, November. 6, 2012.