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Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Arab Americans Living in Metropolitan Washington, DC

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Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor profiles of Arab Americans may differ from those of the majority ethnic groups in the United States on which clinical practice guidelines are based. Reasons for these differences include genetic homogeneity and both cultural and lifestyle factors that influence CVD risk. Therefore, appropriate therapeutic targets for effective CVD prevention in Arab Americans need to be designed. However, research on Arab American health is sparse. For the cross-sectional survey described in this article, a convenience sample of Arab Americans living in Washington, DC; Virginia; and Maryland was recruited. Arab Americans in our sample had a higher prevalence of high cholesterol and lower prevalence of diabetes and hypertension than the general population of the United States. High levels of smoking and a lack of physical activity were also reported. Most participants (71%) reported a score of 15 and below on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, indicating no signs of clinical depression. Predictors of depression were compared in those born inside and outside the United States. With the results from this survey, we have designed a cross-sectional study to begin in early 2010 to determine the prevalence of CVD risk factors in Arab Americans which can be compared with the overall population of the United States.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Anas Shahrour, medical student at Damascus University, Syria, for developing the questionnaires for this study. We gratefully acknowledge Rachel Schaperow of the MedStar Health Research Institute for her editorial services.

Disclosure

Dr. Howard has served on the advisory boards of Merck, Schering-Plough, and the Egg Nutrition Council and has received research support from Merck and Pfizer. No other potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MedStar Health Research Institute, 6525 Belcrest Road, Suite 700, Hyattsville, MD, 20782, USA

    Nawar M. Shara, Elizabeth A. Carter, Ali Fokar & Barbara V. Howard

  2. Howard University School of Social Work, Washington, DC, USA

    Soleman Abu-Bader

  3. Georgetown Preparatory School, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Antonio Deshields

  4. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, MedStar Health Research Institute, 6525 Belcrest Road, Suite 700, Hyattsville, MD, 20782, USA

    Nawar M. Shara

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  1. Nawar M. Shara
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  2. Elizabeth A. Carter
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  3. Soleman Abu-Bader
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  4. Antonio Deshields
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  5. Ali Fokar
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  6. Barbara V. Howard
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Correspondence to Nawar M. Shara.

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Shara, N.M., Carter, E.A., Abu-Bader, S. et al. Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Arab Americans Living in Metropolitan Washington, DC. Curr Cardio Risk Rep 4, 181–185 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12170-010-0096-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12170-010-0096-6

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