Blacks and whites in Cuba have equal prevalence of hypertension: confirmation from a new population survey

BMC Public Health

Richard S Cooper¹  David A Shoham¹  Luis C Silva⁴  Alain Morejon³  Mikhail Benet³  Jay S Kaufman²  Pedro Ordúñez³ 

[1] Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, 60153, Maywood, IL, USA;Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, 1020 Pine Ave West, H3A 1A2, Montreal, QC, Canada;Centro de Estudios sobre Enfermedades Crónicas, Universidad de Ciencias Médicas, 55100, Cienfuegos, Cuba;Centro Nacional de Información de Ciencias Médicas, La Habana, Cuba

关键词: Stress;    Hypertension;    Ethnic groups;    Cuba;    Blood pressure;   

Others  :  1162510
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2458-13-169

 received in 2012-05-02, accepted in 2013-02-21,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

The excess burden of hypertension among blacks has been a prominent feature of the heath disparities literature, and many scientists presume it to be a stable and inevitable phenomenon. The underlying causes of this disparity can only be disentangled in a setting in which the population does not experience racial stratification of socioeconomic opportunities. While such conditions of racial equality remain uncommon, they may be approximated in Cuba, a country with a persistent policy of social inclusion over the last 5 decades.

Methods

We report on a 2010–2011 stratified probability sample of those aged 15–74 years from the urban population of Cienfuegos in central Cuba. A total of 1496 adults (880 women and 616 men) were recruited and assessed for blood pressure and anthropometrics according to standardized protocols, as well as medication use, educational attainment and observed skin tone (dichotomized into “black” and “white”). Weighted tabular and regression analyses were conducted to estimate adjusted prevalences of hypertension (> 140/90 mmHg) and adjusted prevalence odds ratios for contrasts between the two skin color groups.

Results

Mean pressures were higher for men than for women, but overall did not differ importantly between racial groups. About half of all diagnosed hypertensive men were on medication, a proportion that did not vary by racial group. For women, however, adjusted prevalence was somewhat higher among blacks, and treatment and control rates were also somewhat advantaged for white women.

Conclusions

Overall, skin color was unrelated to mean blood pressure or hypertensive status in this population, although among women specifically some racial advantage appears evident in adjusted prevalence and control, and should be investigated further. The overall null result suggests that Cuba may exemplify the social conditions in which racial excess in hypertension, characteristic of much of the western world, is not a necessary reality.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Ordúñez et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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