CVD data gap disproportionately impacts minority races and ethnicities worldwide

A new study warns that racialized and Indigenous communities across Europe, North America, and Central America have much higher rates of heart disease compared to white populations. 

Scientists from McMaster University, Canada, blame marginalization and colonialism for this disparity. They suggest that to narrow this gap, governments should monitor trends, and clinicians must screen at-risk communities, while public health programs could offer affordable treatments. 

The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, pinpoints cardiovascular disease (CVD) as the leading cause of global deaths and shows that it disproportionately impacts Black, South Asian, and Indigenous peoples. These populations also have higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure compared to white populations.

“Taking an intersectional perspective is crucial, as ethnicity strongly intersects with social disadvantage and gender and combines to powerfully influence cardiovascular health,” adds the study.

Women face worse outcomes

The study spotlights gender as a key intersecting factor, where women from minority and ethnic groups in Western countries have the greatest cardiovascular risk burdens, including hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. 

This applies to high- and low-income settings paired with the poorest health outcomes, as they face greater barriers in healthcare access, systemic discrimination, and socioeconomic constraints.

“The novelty of this research lies in the comprehensive, cross-regional evidence showing that these disparities are not random,” says Sonia Anand, lead author of the research and a professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster. 

“They’re deeply tied to social disadvantages such as poverty, poor housing, and limited access to care. The findings show women from marginalized communities are especially affected,” adds Anand, who is also the university’s VP of Global Health and the inaugural leader of the Mary Heersink School of Global Health.

Major data gap

The study underscores inconsistent racial data collection and reporting in health care systems worldwide, limiting the ability to pinpoint high-risk groups for CVD and its prevention and treatment.

Framework for understanding inequalities and disparities in cardiovascular health for marginalized populations (Image credit: The Lancet Regional Health - Europe).The researchers found that ethnicity data was collected in the census and not in health care administrative databases in Canada. This means tracking disparities in real-time clinical settings is challenging.

Most European countries do not have standardized ethnicity data in healthcare. Instead, they rely on factors like country of birth. However, researchers argue that this approach is insufficient for understanding health risks. 

Ethnicity data is rarely collected in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, with Indigenous health data being even more sparse.

Finally, the report finds the US has more consistent race and ethnicity data, but the categories are not refined enough for groups like Asian Americans. 

“This research highlights a critical blind spot in global health systems: without accurate data on race and ethnicity, inequalities in heart health remain hidden and unaddressed,” says co-author Sujane Kandasamy, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster.

Additionally, the study finds that populations of Indigenous peoples who maintained or restored traditional lifestyles by following traditional diets, active living, and community-based health initiatives had improved cardiovascular health regardless of the barriers they faced.

Recent research shows that most US adults consume too much sodium, but intake differs among racial and ethnic groups. The authors highlight the need for culturally tailored advice, as excessive sodium consumption is a known contributor to increased risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Meanwhile, three diets — the Mediterranean Diet, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index, and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension — were recently found to lower diabetes risk, regardless of ethnicity.

Last year, the American Heart Association shed light on CVD risks among American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents. Research by the organization found a much higher prevalence of dyslipidemia, characterized by abnormal levels of cholesterol or fats in the blood, among these populations.