Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults have third highest cardiovascular death rate in the U.S.

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults have third highest cardiovascular death rate in the U.S. 

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M24-0801     

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A study of nationwide mortality data found that Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (NHPI) adults have substantially higher cardiovascular death rates than Asian adults and the third highest cardiovascular death rate in the United States behind Black and White adults. Previous studies of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in this population aggregated the NHPI population with the Asian population. Separating these two groups highlights important differences in CVD death rates, which is important for informing prevention strategies. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.  

National CVD mortality data for the NHPI population are needed to inform clinical practice for this population. Researchers from the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied mortality data from a national database for adults older than 35 to describe CVD mortality among NHPI adults. Cause of death was identified using data from the International Classification of Diseases and stratified according to the race and Hispanic ethnicity groups selected on the death certificate, which are reported by the surviving next of kin or other informants or are based on observation. The data showed 10,870 CVD deaths among NHPI between 2018-2022 with an estimated mean of 2,174 deaths per year. About 40% of NHPI deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease and about 19% to cerebrovascular disease. CVD age-standardized mortality rates, or ASMRs, were 1.5 times higher among NHPI adults compared with Asian adults. In addition, the authors note a concerning finding that more than one third of CVD deaths among NHPI adults occurred among those younger than 65 years, indicating a high prevalence of potentially premature CVD deaths. Collectively, these results signal a need for focused interventions to promote cardiovascular health and prevent CVD among the NHPI population. 

The authors of an accompanying editorial from the University of Hawaii and the University of Michigan say that these findings highlight an important issue. When racial and ethnic populations are aggregated, conclusions may unintentionally mislead the public, health care providers, and policymakers on the “actual” health risks, resilience factors, and measured outcomes that are vital to developing effective policies and prevention programs. However, the authors emphasize that more effective tools and nuanced approaches are needed to disentangle the construct of race and ethnicity as only one factor that may influence the health status of the ever-growing racial diversity of the US population 

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at [email protected]. To speak with corresponding author Rebecca C. Woodruff, PhD, MPH, please email [email protected].