Cardiovascular Health Disparities in Adults of Color Aged 18 to 50: A Systematic Review.

Background: Although cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among US adults of color, there is a limited understanding of cardiovascular health status, including health behaviors (sleep health, diet, physical activity, and nicotine exposure) and health factors (body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure).

Purpose/methods: The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize original research on racial and ethnic disparities in CVH among US adults aged 18 to 50 years using Life's Simple 7 and Life's Essential 8 metrics. Multiple electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL) were searched for relevant original studies published in English until March 28, 2023.

Results: Fifteen original descriptive studies were selected (N = 364 426, mean age = 39.2 ± 8.4 years, 64.6% female, 65.4% non-Hispanic White [NHW], 10.7% non-Hispanic Black [NHB], 11.7% Hispanic, 6.2% multiracial 0.6% non-Hispanic Asian, and <1% American). There were race-, sex-, and age-based differences in CVH scores. People of color had lower CVH scores when compared with NHW, and NHB had the lowest CVH of all racial groups. Males had lower CVH and higher rates of low CVH across most racial groups. However, NHB women had lower CVH scores than NHB men on average compared with these other groups.

Conclusions/clinical implications: The findings of this review contribute to understanding CVH disparities among US adults of color. Ideal CVH is associated with a lower cardiovascular disease risk; therefore, further research is needed to estimate CVH among a racially and ethnically representative sample of US adults.