Cardiovascular disease risk factors in Spain: A comparison of native and immigrant populations

PLoS One. 2020 Nov 30;15(11):e0242740. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242740. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CDV) risk factors are highly prevalent among adults with low social class in Spain. However, little is known on how these factors are distributed in the immigrant population, a socio-economic disadvantaged population. Thus, this study aims to examine inequalities in CVD risk factors among immigrant and native populations. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Spanish National Health Survey 2017 and used log-binomial regression to quantify the association of immigrant status on CVD risk factors among adults aged 25-64 years. The probabilities of having at least three CVD risk factors were higher for immigrants from Eastern Europe (PR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.15-1.35) and lower for immigrants from Africa (PR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.69-0.89) when compared with natives. The association of immigrant status and CVD risk factors varies with educational attainment (p-interaction = 0.001). Immigrants from Eastern Europe with low educational attainment have a higher probability of having at least three CVD risk factors compared with their native counterparts. In contrast, immigrants from Africa and Latin America with low educational attainment had a protective effect against having at least three CVD risk relative to natives. Health prevention and promotion strategies to reduce the burden of CVD taking should account for educational attainment given its differential effect among the immigrant population in Spain.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Africa / epidemiology
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Emigrants and Immigrants*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Latin America / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Risk Factors
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Spain / epidemiology

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Basque Government´s research fund to consolidate research groups. Ref. IT977-16. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.