2:30pm - 3:30pm (CDT) | 4206.0 - Place of birth and incident hypertension among veterans in the US states and territories

Session: Veteran's Caucus Poster Session 4

Program: Veterans Caucus

Presenter: Karen Wang, MD, MHS

Authors:

Carol Oladele, PhD, MPH

Kelson Zawack, PhD

Abstract

Studies show disparities in health outcomes between individuals in U.S. continent and territories This study investigated differences in hypertension (HTN) risk among veterans born in the United States’ 50 States and District of Columbia (US-DC) and Territories (US-T).

Veterans Health Administration Corporate Data Warehouse data were used to identify veterans who received services between 2001 and 2017 and free of HTN in 2001. Place of birth data were extracted to categorize veterans as US-DC or US-T born. HTN was identified in electronic records using ICD-10 codes. Person-years were estimated. Rate ratios and logistic regression modeling were used to examine differences in incident HTN between US-DC or US-T born veterans.

Our sample included 548,026 veterans. Ninety-eight percent were born in the US-DC and 2.2% were born in the Caribbean and Pacific US-territories. Pacific-born veterans had the highest HTN incidence (8,931 per 100K), and US-DC veterans had lowest total incidence rates (4,581 per 100K). Incidence varied by place of birth and race, with highest rates among Asian veterans in the Caribbean (9,077 per 100K) and Pacific territories (10,428 per 100K). In the US-DC, incidence was highest among Black veterans (7,827 per 100K), and Hispanic veterans in Caribbean territories (6,386 per 100K). Rate ratio estimates showed that hypertension rates were higher among veterans born in the US-T compared to US-DC. Lastly, adjusted logistic regression results showed US-T born veterans had greater odds of HTN.

Further work is needed to understand differences among veterans in risk factors for HTN by place of birth.