PURPOSE: To examine the association between skin color and all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality risk before and after adjusting for selected characteristics and risk factors, we used data on 5,304 men with information on skin color at Exam 3 of the Puerto Rico Heart Health program (PRHHP), a longitudinal study of the incidence of coronary heart disease in Puerto Rican men. METHODS: Mortality was ascertained using hospital and physician records, postmortem records, death certificates, and information from the next of kin. RESULTS: Dark-skinned men exhibited higher age-adjusted mortality rates than light skinned men (10.1 vs. 8.8/10,000 population). There was no association between skin color and all-cause and CVD-related mortality. However, the association between skin color and all-cause mortality varied with area of residence (p for interaction = 0.05). Among men living in urban areas, the risk of all-cause mortality was 28% (95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.61) greater among dark-skinned men than their light-skinned counterparts after adjusting for age, education, BMI, physical activity, and the presence of diabetes. There was no association between skin color and CVD mortality in urban men. Neither all-cause nor CVD mortality was associated with skin color among rural men. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that skin color may be capturing environmental dynamics that may influence mortality risk among Puerto Rican men.
PURPOSE: To examine the association between skin color and all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality risk before and after adjusting for selected characteristics and risk factors, we used data on 5,304 men with information on skin color at Exam 3 of the Puerto Rico Heart Health program (PRHHP), a longitudinal study of the incidence of coronary heart disease in Puerto Rican men. METHODS: Mortality was ascertained using hospital and physician records, postmortem records, death certificates, and information from the next of kin. RESULTS: Dark-skinned men exhibited higher age-adjusted mortality rates than light skinned men (10.1 vs. 8.8/10,000 population). There was no association between skin color and all-cause and CVD-related mortality. However, the association between skin color and all-cause mortality varied with area of residence (p for interaction = 0.05). Among men living in urban areas, the risk of all-cause mortality was 28% (95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.61) greater among dark-skinned men than their light-skinned counterparts after adjusting for age, education, BMI, physical activity, and the presence of diabetes. There was no association between skin color and CVD mortality in urban men. Neither all-cause nor CVD mortality was associated with skin color among rural men. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that skin color may be capturing environmental dynamics that may influence mortality risk among Puerto Rican men.
Authors: Ingrid A F van der Mei; Leigh Blizzard; Jim Stankovich; Anne-Louise Ponsonby; Terence Dwyer Journal: J Photochem Photobiol B Date: 2002-08 Impact factor: 6.252
Authors: M R García-Palmieri; M Feliberti; R Costas; A A Colón; M Cruz-Vidal; M Cortés-Alicea; A M Ayala; R Sobrino; R Torres Journal: Bol Asoc Med P R Date: 1969-06
Authors: Carlos J Crespo; Mario R Garcia Palmieri; Rosa Perez Perdomo; Daniel L Mcgee; Ellen Smit; Christopher T Sempos; I-Min Lee; Paul D Sorlie Journal: Ann Epidemiol Date: 2002-11 Impact factor: 3.797