Uncontrolled Blood Pressure Highest Among Hispanics, Prompting New Hypertension Projec...( MIAMI Sept. 12 -- The National A...),Health

MIAMI, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Alliance for Hispanic Health (the Alliance) is launching a new national program called Hypertension ... Control is in your Hands (Presion alta ... El control esta en tus manos) with the goal of raising awareness of hypertension (high blood pressure), promoting prevention, and helping Hispanic adults bring their high blood pressure under control. The Alliance is conducting education and blood pressure screening events in Miami in collaboration with the Little Havana Activities and Nutrition Centers of Dade County, Inc. The first event will be this Friday, September 14, 2007 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm at the Rafael Villaverde Senior Center at 700 SW 8th Street in Miami.

"It's of great concern that there is a significant proportion of the Hispanic population with hypertension who are unaware of their condition and do not have their high blood pressure under control," said Dr. Jane L. Delgado, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. "As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Alliance and our partners are going to make a difference by launching a series of community education and blood pressure screening events that will improve health and save lives."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that Hispanics with hypertension are less likely to be aware of their condition. Among Mexican American adults with hypertension, only about half (49.8%) are aware of their condition and are less likely to have their hypertension under control (17.3%) compared to non-Hispanic blacks (29.8%) and non-Hispanic whites (29.8%) with high blood pressure.

While hypertension rates are lower among Mexican Americans, research from the Institute of Medicine and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is raising concern that rates may increase after the first generation as Hispanics adopt unhealthy habits, including dietary practices. According to CDC, the age-adjusted prevale
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