Disparities in Self-Reported Hypertension in Hispanic Subgroups, Non-Hispanic Black and Non-Hispanic White Adults: The National Health Interview Survey

PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of self-reported hypertension in Hispanic subgroups and non-Hispanic adults in the National Health Interview Survey for years 1997 to 2005, we examined 279,387 records, including 48,630 records for Hispanic adults. METHODS: Self-reported hypertension was ascertained through the question, "Have you ever been told by a doctor or health professional that you have hypertension, also called high blood pressure?" Logistic regression was used to assess the strength of the association between race/ethnicity (Puerto Rican, Mexican, Mexican American, Cuban, Dominican, Central and South American, other Hispanic, and non-Hispanic black versus non-Hispanic white adults) and self-reported hypertension before and after adjusting for selected characteristics. RESULTS: After adjusting for selected sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, Dominican and non-Hispanic black adults had 67% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-2.27) and 48% (95% Cl, 1.41-1.56) greater odds of reporting hypertension than non-Hispanic white adults. In contrast, Mexican (odds ratio [OR], 0.73; 95% CI, 0.65-0.82), Mexican-American (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.72-0.88), and Central and South American adults (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.69-0.93) had lower odds of reporting hypertension than non-Hispanic white adults. The association between race/ethnicity and self-reported hypertension differs with sex, nativity status/length of stay in the United States, and education. CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores the need for data disaggregation beyond the existing racial/ ethnic categories in the United States to reflect the heterogeneity and health disparities masked not only for the population under the Hispanic category but also for populations under other categories considered homogenous. Ann Epidemiol 2008;18:803-812. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.