Houston HeartReach Study Examines Cardiometabolic Risk Factors for This Diverse Group

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S., and understanding the risk factors is crucial for prevention and treatment. The Houston HeartReach Study, initiated by The Texas Heart Institute’s Center for Women’s Heart & Vascular Health, sheds new light on cardiometabolic risks in women across the Greater Houston area. Investigators Arjun R. Raghuram, Matthew W. Segar, MD, MS, Stephanie Coulter, MD, and Joseph G. Rogers, MD, recently published an in-depth analysis of the Houston HeartReach registry in The Texas Heart Institute Journal.

Researchers are interested in studying factors that may increase a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This information may help better predict who is at risk, improve disease screening and treatment, and help people prevent disease through lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise. Cardiometabolic risk factors are a group of conditions that increase a person’s likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

To study risk factors, researchers analyze health data from large groups of people to detect trends about the likelihood that someone will develop disease.  Approximately 1,500 women across the Greater Houston area who participated in health screenings opted to have their information included in the registry. The database includes information for a diverse group of women.

What was different about this new risk-factor analysis study?

• The study specifically focused on women from the Greater Houston area.
• Researchers combined analysis of multiple kinds of cardiometabolic risk factors:
  • Traditional: Hypertension (high blood pressure), body mass index (BMI; a measurement of obesity or being overweight), diabetes (elevated blood glucose), dyslipidemia (abnormal blood lipid levels)
  • Demographic: Age, race, ethnicity
  • Nontraditional: Socioeconomic status (income level, whether someone was employed)

Key points from the study:

• Women had very diverse cardiometabolic risk factor profiles, mirroring the diversity of the region.
• Black women were more likely to have hypertension but less likely to have dyslipidemia (abnormal blood lipids).
• Hispanic women were less likely to have hypertension but more likely to be overweight or have obesity.
• Women with lower incomes or who were unemployed were more likely to have diabetes, be overweight or have obesity, or have dyslipidemia.
• Geographic analysis by zip code showed clusters of women with cardiometabolic risk factors, including those living in southeastern Houston.

By incorporating socioeconomic data, the study confirms the value of including social determinants of health when analyzing women’s cardiovascular risks, offering a more comprehensive approach to predicting and preventing disease. Social determinants of health include five main components: economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood environment, and social and community context.

 

Read the Study

Raghuram AR, Segar MW, Coulter S, Rogers JG. Prevalence of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Women: Insights From the Houston HeartReach Study. Tex Heart Inst J (2024) 51 (2): e248429. doi: 10.14503/THIJ-24-8429.

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Houston HeartReach received funding through the Alpha Phi Foundation Heart to Heart Grant, the Kappa Kappa Gamma Charitable Foundation of Houston, and a donor of an anonymous gift to the Center for Women’s Heart & Vascular Health.