Ethnic minority and low socioeconomic groups continue to have disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular disease, requiring both population-wide and targeted interventions to accelerate risk reduction.
Purpose: Substantial declines in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and events have occurred in the overall population during the last 30 years. However, ethnic minority and low socioeconomic groups continue to have high rates of CVD, as well as premature illness and death. Methods: Epidemiologic studies that examine the impact of ethnic and socioeconomic status (SES) on CVD are reviewed. Results: Studies illustrate how the effects of ethnicity can be overestimated and the effects of SES can be underestimated in CVD studies because both ethnicity and SES are strongly associated with each other, as well as with CVD. Further studies show how disaggregated data can elucidate CVD differences by ethnicity and SES. Trends in CVD risk factors and events by ethnicity and SES are also shown. Conclusions: The challenge during the next decade is to continue the declines in CVD risk factors in the overall population and accelerate the declines in ethnic minority and low SES groups. Two mutually reinforcing intervention approaches are recommended, a population-wide approach and a targeted subgroup approach; a combination that extends the benefits of CVD prevention to the growing diversity of Americans.
Marilyn A. Winkleby (Wed,) conducted a review in Cardiovascular disease. Ethnic minority and low socioeconomic status was evaluated on Cardiovascular disease risk factors and events. Ethnic minority and low socioeconomic groups continue to have disproportionately high rates of cardiovascular disease, requiring both population-wide and targeted interventions to accelerate risk reduction.