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Associations Between Discrimination and Cardiovascular Health Among Asian Indians in the United States

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Abstract

Asian Indians (AI) have a high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The study investigated associations between discrimination and (1) cardiovascular risk and (2) self-rated health among AI. Higher discrimination scores were hypothesized to relate to a higher cardiovascular risk score (CRS) and poorer self-rated health. Asian Indians (n = 757) recruited between 2010 and 2013 answered discrimination and self-reported health questions. The CRS (0-8 points) included body-mass index, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose levels of AI. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to evaluate relationships between discrimination and the CRS and discrimination and self-rated health, adjusting for psychosocial and clinical factors. There were no significant relationships between discrimination and the CRS (p ≥ .05). Discrimination was related to poorer self-reported health, B = −.41 (SE = .17), p = .02. Findings suggest perhaps there are important levels at which discrimination may harm health.

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Acknowledgments

The MASALA study was supported by the NIH grant The MASALA study was supported by the NIH Grant #1RO1 HL093009. Data collection at UCSF was also supported by NIH/NCRR USCF-CTSI Grant Number UL1RR024131. This research was also funded by The National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number T32HL069771. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, 680 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, 60647, USA

    S. B. Nadimpalli, A. Dulin-Keita, C. Salas, A. M. Kanaya & Namratha R. Kandula

  2. Department of General Internal Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA

    Namratha R. Kandula

  3. Department of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA

    A. Dulin-Keita

  4. Department of Psychology, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA

    C. Salas

  5. Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94115, USA

    A. M. Kanaya

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  1. S. B. Nadimpalli
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Correspondence to S. B. Nadimpalli.

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Nadimpalli, S.B., Dulin-Keita, A., Salas, C. et al. Associations Between Discrimination and Cardiovascular Health Among Asian Indians in the United States. J Immigrant Minority Health 18, 1284–1291 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0413-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0413-3

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