Health Risks and Chronic Health Conditions among Arab American and White Adults in Northern California.

Abstract

Objectives\nTo characterize the prevalence of chronic cardiovascular conditions and risk factors among Arab American adults stratified by sex and compare these with non-Hispanic Whites.\n\n\nDesign\nCross-sectional study using electronic health record data from visits between January 2015 and December 2016. Age-adjusted prevalence estimates were calculated for men and women and compared using generalized linear models.\n\n\nSetting\nKaiser Permanente health plan in Northern California.\n\n\nParticipants\nNon-Hispanic White (N=969,566) and Arab American (N=18,072) adult members.\n\n\nMain Outcome Measures\nSex-stratified prevalence and prevalence ratios of diabetes, pre-diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia diagnosed by December 2016 and of obesity, ever smoking, and current smoking status.\n\n\nResults\nArab American men had a significantly higher prevalence of ever smoking (41.8 vs 40.8%), diabetes (17.3 vs 12.5%), and hyperlipidemia (40.8 vs 34.7%) than White men, but a significantly lower prevalence of obesity (34.4 vs 37.8%) and hypertension (30.5 vs 33.3%). Arab American women had a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes (11.1 vs 8.7%) and hyperlipidemia (31.5 vs 28.3%) than White women but significantly lower prevalence of obesity (31.0 vs 34.2%), ever smoking (24.8 vs 34.5%), and hypertension (25.8 vs 28.4%).\n\n\nConclusions\nHospital and health systems should intentionally collect data on Middle Eastern and North African ethnicity in electronic health records to identify and reduce the disparities this minority group faces.