BACKGROUND Although people of South Asian, Chinese and black ethnic backgrounds represent about 60% of the world's population, most knowledge of cardiovascular risk is derived from studies conducted in white populations. We conducted a large, population-based comparison of cardiovascular risk among people of white, South Asian, Chinese and black ethnicity living in Ontario, Canada. METHODS We...

BACKGROUND The UK South Asian population has poorer health outcomes. Little is known about their process of care in general practice, or in particular the process of communication with GPs. AIM To compare the ways in which white and South Asian patients communicate with white GPs. DESIGN OF STUDY Observational study of video-recorded consultations using the Roter Interactional Analysis Syst...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Complement components are emerging risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In this study, we examined the relation among C3, C-reactive protein (CRP), factor B, and features of the insulin resistance (IR) syndrome in 143 first-degree relatives of South Asian subjects with ischemic stroke, 141 South Asian controls, and 121 white controls. METHODS C3, CRP (high-sensitivi...

BACKGROUND Stroke has emerged as a significant and escalating health problem for Asian populations. We compared risk factors, quality of care and risk of death or recurrent stroke in South Asian, East Asian and White patients with acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. METHODS Retrospective analysis was performed on consecutive patients with ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage admitte...

OBJECTIVE To test the appropriateness of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) cutoff points derived in largely white populations (ie, those of European descent) for detecting obesity-related metabolic abnormalities among East Asian and South Asian Canadians. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTING Primary care and community settings in Ontario. PARTICIPANTS Canadians of East ...

BACKGROUND Rates of self-harm appear high in South Asian young women in the United Kingdom (UK) although previous studies were mostly small. Data on treatment and outcomes for South Asians are lacking. This study compared rates of self-harm, socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, provision of services and risk of repetition by ethnicity. METHOD A prospective cohort of adult self-harm...

BACKGROUND South Asian populations are the largest visible minority group in Canada; however, there is very little information on the mental health of these populations. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence rates and characteristics of mental health outcomes for South Asian first-generation immigrant and second-generation Canadian-born populations. METHODS The Canadian ...

BACKGROUND Surname lists are useful for identifying cohorts of ethnic minority patients from secondary data sources. This study sought to develop and validate lists to identify people of South Asian and Chinese origin. METHODS Comprehensive lists of South Asian and Chinese surnames were reviewed to identify those that uniquely belonged to the ethnic minority group. Surnames that were common i...

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular disease and cancer are important health problems worldwide, yet our knowledge of these conditions is derived principally from populations of European descent. To investigate ethnic variations in major causes of death in Canada, the authors examined total and cause-specific mortality among European, south Asian, and Chinese Canadians. METHODS Canadians of European, so...

OBJECTIVE To compare ethnic and sex difference in the incidence of newly diagnosed hypertension, and subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease outcomes among South Asian, Chinese and white patients. METHODS We identified patients with newly diagnosed hypertension aged ≥20 years. Patients were followed for 1-9 years for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease with myocardial infarction,...