Abstract MP023: Changes in Systolic Blood Pressure Differs by Immigration History in a Cohort of Older Mexican Americans

Background: Studies on immigrant health suggest that foreign-born individuals have better health outcomes than their native-born counterparts due to health selection. However, effects of immigration history on changes in cardiovascular conditions and risk factors are less well understood. Objective and Hypothesis: We examined the association between immigration history and change in systolic blood pressure (SBP). We hypothesized that Mexican Americans born outside the US and immigrated after age 30 (FB30+), would have lower SBP at baseline and have slower increase in SBP compared to people who were born in the US (US-B) or immigrated from Mexico before age 30 (FB<30). Methods: Participants come from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (n=1789), a longitudinal cohort of community-dwelling older Mexican Americans (mean age=70.6 years); 51% were born in Mexico. Immigration history was categorized as US-B, FB<30, and FB30+. SBP measures were available at baseline and at five follow-ups over ten years. A...