New Report Outlines Heart Disease Disparities in the Midwest

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A new report from the Heartland Regional Health Equity Council addressed the disparities in heart disease in four Midwest states: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. The Heart Disease Disparities Report provides an overview of the demographics and heart disease disparities in these states. Chronic conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes are among the most frequent and costly health conditions in the United States. Latinos are disproportionately burdened by many of these chronic illnesses.

The data in the report covers the time period from 2000 to 2010. The data was collected from numerous sources, including online tools, state health department offices, and surveys. Some of the findings from the report include dramatic Latino population increases in the four states. In Iowa, the Latino population rose from 82,473 to 151,544; Kansas saw its population increase from 188,252 to 300,042; Missouri nearly doubled its Latino population, from 118,592 to 212,470; and Nebraska also saw exponential growth from 94,425 to 164,405.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the definition of a myocardial infarction—or heart attack—occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is blocked due to coronary heart disease (CHD), which is caused by a build-up of fat, cholesterol, and other substances that form a plaque in the arteries that feed the heart. Latinos face higher risks of cardiovascular diseases because of high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.

It was also shown that, in Iowa, the age-adjusted death rate due to heart disease for Latinos decreased from 138.2 (per 100,000 people) to 94. The rates also decreased in Kansas, from 111.9 to 94.8, Missouri, from 176.7 to 104.5, and Nebraska, from 114.6 to 89.7. The rate for CHD in Iowa was 2.9% for Latinos, which was lower than the state’s overall average of 4.1%. The rate was also lower in Missouri, where Latinos averaged 4.3%, slightly lower than the state’s 4.4%. It was also lower in Nebraska (3.6% Latino; 3.8% state average). The rate in Kansas for Latinos was 4.1%, which was also slightly higher than the state’s average of 3.9%.

You can read the full report here.

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