Community Assessment of Cardiovascular Health and Risk Among People of Mexican Descent in Berwyn, Illinois
type: CreativeWork
description: Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death in the United States and affects persons of all races and ethnicities. The number of persons of Mexican ethnicity has increased significantly in the United States, notably in the community of Berwyn, a suburb of Chicago, IL where according to the U.S. 2010 census 60% of the community is now of Mexican descent. The factors that contribute to CVD risk in persons of Mexican decent within this community must be understood before culturally appropriate risk reduction strategies are designed and implemented. Purpose: The purpose of this community-based study is to gain a better understanding of selected social and physical health determinants and risk factors which may contribute to cardiovascular disease in people of Mexican descent in the community of Berwyn. Methods: The Healthy People 2010 model for assessing a community's health status guided this study. Multiple methods were used to characterize the prevalence of CVD risk factors among a community sample of Berwyn residents of Mexican descent. The impact of the selected social health determinants include language barriers, access to care, cultural behaviors, awareness of CVD and socioeconomic status and physical health determinants such as availability of parks and play lots, grocery stores and environmental pollution. Sources of data included: (1) community health screenings of 106 participants of Mexican descent who were assessed for blood pressure, total cholesterol, glucose, height, weight, body mass index, and age, (2) fifteen guided interviews of community key informants, (3) survey of participants in community/church-based CVD risk screenings, and (4) searches of publicly accessible internet databases related to the social and physical health determinants for this community. Data Analysis: Guided interviews were analyzed using standard qualitative procedures. STATA/MP version 1.1 was used for descriptive statistical analyses of the surv…
abstract: Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death in the United States and affects persons of all races and ethnicities. The number of persons of Mexican ethnicity has increased significantly in the United States, notably in the community of Berwyn, a suburb of Chicago, IL where according to the U.S. 2010 census 60% of the community is now of Mexican descent. The factors that contribute to CVD risk in persons of Mexican decent within this community must be understood before culturally appropriate risk reduction strategies are designed and implemented. Purpose: The purpose of this community-based study is to gain a better understanding of selected social and physical health determinants and risk factors which may contribute to cardiovascular disease in people of Mexican descent in the community of Berwyn. Methods: The Healthy People 2010 model for assessing a community's health status guided this study. Multiple methods were used to characterize the prevalence of CVD risk factors among a community sample of Berwyn residents of Mexican descent. The impact of the selected social health determinants include language barriers, access to care, cultural behaviors, awareness of CVD and socioeconomic status and physical health determinants such as availability of parks and play lots, grocery stores and environmental pollution. Sources of data included: (1) community health screenings of 106 participants of Mexican descent who were assessed for blood pressure, total cholesterol, glucose, height, weight, body mass index, and age, (2) fifteen guided interviews of community key informants, (3) survey of participants in community/church-based CVD risk screenings, and (4) searches of publicly accessible internet databases related to the social and physical health determinants for this community. Data Analysis: Guided interviews were analyzed using standard qualitative procedures. STATA/MP version 1.1 was used for descriptive statistical analyses of the surv…
author: Larimer, Karen Ann
keywords: Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Risk, Hispanics, Mexicans, Nursing
date published: 2011-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:55:16Z
provider: Loyola University Chicago
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Loyola University Chicago