Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among ethnic groups: results from the Health Surveys for England

Abstract

Objective: To identify independent risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes for each minority ethnic group and the general population in England and explore the independent association of ethnicity and CVD and diabetes.

Participants: Nationally representative samples of 2362 Black Caribbean, 2467 Indian, 2204 Pakistanis, 1985 Bangladeshis, 1385 Chinese, 2398 Irish, and 30,744 adults from the general population living in private households.

Results: CVD was relatively more common among: Indian and Chinese men with high waist-hip ratio; Indian, Bangladeshi and Irish with diabetes; Black Caribbean, Indian and Pakistani with hypertension; Bangladeshi and Pakistani ex-smokers and Indian ex-smokers and current-smokers; Pakistani that were moderate-drinkers and Indian heavy drinkers; Black Carribean Indian, Pakistani and Irish physically inactive; Pakistani in manual social class; and Bangladeshi in low income. Black Caribbean, Bangladeshi and Chinese participants and Indian and Pakistani women had significantly lower odds ratios of having CVD, compared with the general population. The odds of having diabetes were significantly higher for Black Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi, Chinese (men only) than participants from the general population.

Conclusions: CVD prevention through control of risk factors, especially diabetes and hypertension, should not only address the general population, but also target people from these groups.