Discovering the Full Spectrum of Cardiovascular Disease

T his article provides an overview of our current under- standing of the epidemiology of obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and hypertension among racial/ethnic groups.Three presentations made at the conference by the present writing group are summarized and updated with other information on ethnic groups, and recommendations developed by the writing group for programs, public policy, and research are put forward. Epidemiology of Obesity• Obesity has been increasing across all US groups since 1980: children, adults, racial/ethnic groups, and socioeconomic status groups.• Ethnic disparities are prevalent: Obesity prevalence is higher among black American women, Hispanic Americans (especially Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans), American Indians/Alaska Natives, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians than among white Americans.• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk for a given body mass index (BMI) may vary by race/ethnicity.This paper represents a summary of a scientific conference sponsored by the American Heart Association.The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the editor or the American Heart Association.The publication of these proceedings was approved by the American Heart Association Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee on January 20, 2005.All writing group members were required to complete and submit shortly before the workshop a Faculty Disclosure Questionnaire.These disclosures are available as an appendix to the Executive Summary.