Setting the Standard: Benchmarking Hypertension Rates in the McLean County Latino Population
Hypertension continues to be a major health problem for Latinos, as well as for the general population (Fong, Lees & Morisky, 2000). Diseases of the heart and stroke are the number one killer of Latinos, claiming the lives of more than 30% of Latinos who die each year (American Heart Association, 2003). Knowing the blood pressure rates in this community will help health officials gauge hypertension rates and decrease the risk of stroke and heart disease. In light of the absence of blood pressure data in McLean County and its compelling association with Latino mortality, this study seeks to benchmark the baseline blood pressures of McLean County Latinos so that blood pressure statistics can be available for this population. In addition to this benchmarking, the study will also explore several issues that are subsidiary to the question at hand. First, factors that have prohibited exploration of blood pressure baselines will be investigated in this research study. Undocumented immigrants, access to health care, uninsured Latinos, and language barriers are proposed factors that will be analyzed in the context of the McLean County Latino population. The possible presence of hypertension in McLean County Latinos will also be investigated. Blood pressure/hypertension data obtained from this study was categorized according to the hypertension definition given by the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (2003) and compared to nationwide averages. The final subsidiary question concentrates on the importance of hypertension for Latinos and the general population, detailing its effects and prevalence. To facilitate analysis, Registered Nurses obtained blood pressure values and the gender from 94 adult Latinos (aged 18-64) after a Spanish-language mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church. This quantitative data was analyzed and totaled to see how many Latinos in the sample have a normal/optimal blood pressure, prehypertension, and hypertension. The results reflect 21% hypertension prevalence in the sample, with 40% of the participants having normal/optimal blood pressure, and 39% of the sample being diagnosed with prehypertension. With respect to gender, Latino males had a hypertension prevalence of 24%, while females maintained a 20% hypertension prevalence rate. The baseline blood pressure for the entire sample is 122/ 73 mmHg, with Latino males showing a higher baseline blood pressure than the females (126/ 78 mmHg and 118/ 70 mmHg, respectively).
School:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department:
Community Health
Research Advisor:
Susan Farner
Department of Research Advisor:
Community Health
Year of Publication:
2003