A Call to Action: Community Health Screening Data Highlight the Need to Address Hypertension among Filipino Americans in the United States

Written by M. Danet Lapiz-Bluhm, Cynthia Romero, Ismail El Moudden, Amanda Clarke, & Sunita Dodani 

doi: https://doi.org/10.13178/jnparr

Abstract

Background: Since the early 2000s, there has been research evidence indicating the high prevalence of hypertension among Filipinos in the United States. Recent data from Phila-delphia, New York, and New Jersey show rates of hypertension as high as 63%. Rates of hypertension in South Texas and Eastern Virginia are not known.

Objective: This study describes the community health screening data of Filipinos in South Texas and Eastern Virginia. Community data can help determine health issues in a popula-tion for potential intervention.

Methods: Demographics and health screening data (blood pressure, blood glucose, hemo-globin Alc, and blood cholesterol) were collected from Filipinos who attended community health screenings in South Texas (N = 282) and Eastern Virginia (N = 35) and extracted for analysis, where available. Descriptive statistics mean or median (interquartile), min, max, standard deviation, or frequency were utilized to summarize the data.

Results: For the participants in South Texas, the median health scores were BMI = 26 kg,/ m2, blood glucose = 105 mg/dL, total blood cholesterol = 173 mg/dL, systolic blood pres-sure = 128 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure = 78 mmHg. Approximately 70% of the South Texas participants (N = 195) had abnormal (> 120/80 mmHg) blood pressure read-ings. For participants in Eastern Virginia, the median health scores were BMI = 24 kg/m2, blood glucose = 127 mg/dL, hemoglobin Al c = 5.65, systolic blood pressure-134 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure = 82 mmHg. About 73% (N = 22) of the Eastern Virginia participants had abnormal blood pressure.

Conclusions: This study is first to report the high prevalence (> 70%) of hypertension among Filipinos in South Texas and Easter Virginia, which were comparable to published rates in Philadelphia and New Jersey. The alarming pattern of increase in hypertension rates among Filipinos in the US calls for an urgent need to address hypertension dispari-ties. Culturally tailored community and evidence-based intervention to reduce hyperten-sion in this minority population should be initiated. 

Keywords: Filipinos in the US, Filipino American, hypertension, South Texas, Eastern Virginia, health disparities, blood pressure, community health screening