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(Circulation. 1997;96:418-423.)
© 1997 American Heart Association, Inc.

Articles

Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Mexican-American and Non-Hispanic White Children

The Corpus Christi Child Heart Study

Susan R. Tortolero, PhD; David C. Goff, Jr, MD, PhD; Milton Z. Nichaman, MD, ScD; Darwin R. Labarthe, MD, PhD; Jo Anne Grunbaum, EdD; ; Craig L. Hanis, PhD

From the Southwest Center for Prevention Research, School of Public Health, University of Texas–Houston Health Science Center.

Correspondence to Susan R. Tortolero, PhD, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Southwest Center for Prevention Research, School of Public Health, University of Texas–Houston Health Science Center, PO Box 20186, Houston, TX 77225. E-mail stortolero{at}utsph.sph.uth.tmc.edu

Background Information concerning differences in cardiovascular disease risk factors between Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white children is limited. We conducted a study to determine if there were ethnic differences in cardiovascular disease risk factors in children and whether such differences were explained by differences in body mass index.

Methods and Results Fasting glucose, insulin, and blood lipid concentrations, blood pressure, weight, and height were measured in a cross-sectional survey among 403 third-grade children in Corpus Christi, Tex. We found significantly higher fasting insulin and glucose concentrations among Mexican-American than among non-Hispanic white children. Mexican-American boys had slightly lower levels of HDL cholesterol and higher systolic blood pressure than non-Hispanic white boys. Ethnic differences in insulin and glucose were not explained by body mass index.

Conclusions These results provide preliminary evidence that ethnic differences in insulin, glucose, body mass index, and other risk factors occur as early as age 8 to 10 years. Additional research is warranted on differences in risk factors in Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white children and the potential importance of insulin in influencing the natural history of these characteristics.

Key Words: cardiovascular diseases • insulin • glucose • blood pressure • cholesterol

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