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Abstract

<p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>The long-term trends of favorable cardiovascular health among US Hispanic and Latino adults are not well understood. Using recent data spanning 2008 to 2024, this study examines contemporary changes in cardiovascular health within a diverse Hispanic and Latino population and compares them with national patterns.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>We applied the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 metrics of cardiovascular risk factor status to HCHS/SOL (Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos) participants aged 28 to 74 years who were free of cardiovascular disease. Across 3 study visits (2008-2024), we examined the prevalence of achieving favorable metrics (Life's Essential 8 score ≥80) for nicotine exposure, body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure. Comparisons were made with Hispanic and Latino and non-Hispanic White adults in the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey).</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Over time, Hispanic and Latino adults had increasing prevalence of meeting the favorable Life's Essential 8 metric for blood lipids (HCHS/SOL, 29.4%-45.3%; NHANES, 30.6%-38.9%) and nicotine exposure (HCHS/SOL, 56.3%-63.4%; NHANES, 60.8%-67.1%), along with declining prevalence of meeting the favorable blood glucose metric (HCHS/SOL, 44.6%-37.5%; NHANES, 33.6%-30.0%). When comparing the Hispanic and Latino populations versus NHANES non-Hispanic White adults, the most marked and persistent differences were more favorable nicotine exposure and less favorable body mass index and glucose levels among the Hispanic and Latino groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>Hispanic and Latino adults exhibit both advantages and disadvantages in cardiovascular health compared with non-Hispanic White adults. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions and culturally tailored policies to address cardiovascular health disparities.</p>

Year of Publication
2026
Journal
Journal of the American Heart Association
Volume
15
Issue
11
Number of Pages
e047791
Date Published
06/2026
ISSN Number
2047-9980
DOI
10.1161/JAHA.125.047791
Alternate Journal
J Am Heart Assoc
PMID
42179247
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