Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here):

Background: Cardiovascular (CV) risk increases with age, yet data on age-related trends in underserved U.S. minority populations remain limited. This study evaluates differences in CV risk factors and INTERHEART Risk Scores (IRS) across age groups across the underserved population in the city of Philadelphia, PA.

Methods: Between July 2023 and February 2025, cross-sectional data were collected from Asian and African communities at HPs in South and West Philadelphia churches, and from Hispanic communities at HPs in the Mexican and Guatemalan Consulates. Biometrics (i.e. body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), blood glucose (BG), total cholesterol (TC), smoking status, and IRS (low: 0–9, moderate: 10–15, high: ≥16), were recorded in REDCap. Age- and ethnicity-related differences in CV risk factors were assessed via Chi-square and one-way ANOVA tests.

Results: Among Africans (n=112), IRS increased with age (p=0.015), with scores ≥16 in 23.8% of those >50 yrs. SBP ≥140 mmHg rose from 8.3% in ≤30 yrs to 63.6% in >50 yrs (p<0.001). WHR (p=0.033) and BG >200 prevalence (0% ≤30 yrs to 13.3% >50 yrs, p=0.009) also showed significant age-related increases. Among Asians (n=146), the percentage of people with BMI 25-29 decreased from 86.7% (<30 yrs) to 47.2% (>50 yrs; p=0.002), while obesity increased to 23.6%. SBP>140 mmHg increased from 0% to 30.8% (p=0.021), and current smoking from 7.1% to 28.6% (p=0.014). Among Hispanics (n=88), obesity increased with age (p=0.007): 0% in 40–50 yrs vs. 54.6% in >50 yrs. No significant age trends were found for BP, BG, or IRS (p=0.111), but 55.6% in the 40–50 age group had high IRS. Asians had significantly lower BMI than both Africans (p=0.0007) and Hispanics (p=4e-05) in the 40–50 group, a trend persisting in >50 yrs (p<1e-06 vs. Africans; p=0.027 vs. Hispanics). WHR were consistently lower in Asians vs. Hispanics in 30–50+ groups (p<0.05). TC decreased significantly with age in Africans (p=0.035): 44.4% of >50 yrs had levels <100 mg/dL. No significant differences were observed in DBP or BG across other groups.

Conclusion: Age-related increases in CV risk factors, particularly obesity, WHR, and BP, were observed across Asian, Hispanic, and African communities. IRS highlighted elevated CV risk in older Hispanics and Africans (>50 years). These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions in minority populations to address age-related CV risk disparities.