Hispanics and cardiovascular health and the "Hispanic Paradox": what is known and what needs to be discovered?

This issue of Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases is devoted to cardiovascular (CV) health inHispanics. Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity defined as an individual of any racewhohas origins in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, South America or other Spanish-speaking countries. Because it is an ethnic definition and not a race, Hispanics might be whites or blacks. There are more than 53 million Hispanics living in the United States (US), representing 17% of the total US population and the largestminority group in the country. Hispanics also represent the fastest growing racial or ethnic population in the US. Indeed, Hispanics are expected to become the majority in California in 2014, the most populated state of the Union. Hispanics also represent the fastest growing aging population, as the population of Hispanics aged 65 years or older is projected to increase by 330% by 2020. Hispanics represent a very heterogeneous ethnic groupwith different customs and traditions depending on the country of origin. The heterogeneity expands to lifestyle and healthy habits with significant differences in smoking rates, physical activity, and other behaviors when comparing sub-groups of Hispanics. However, despite the seemingly heterogeneous nature of Hispanics as an ethnic group, they do share several important features beyond the language, including several sociodemographic factors like familism, personalism, faith, spirituality, and religious values. It is not uncommon among Hispanics to have people from different generations living in the same household, sharing expenses and financial support. In many Hispanic families, there is a perceived obligation to provide family members with material and emotional support, extended to second-degree relatives. Hispanic families are generally recognized as amplified or extended, consisting of a nuclear family and second-degree relatives, as well as nonblood relatives growing up together, considered as an extension of the family. The concept of familismhas been broadly defined as placing one's family above oneself and emphasizing interdependence over independence. Hispanic families are mostly Roman Catholic and report a high sense of spirituality over material satisfaction. Many of those cultural features, along with dietary patterns, tend to change after Hispanics immigrate into the US and become acculturalized. Why publish an issue focused on CV disease (CVD) in Hispanics? The three main reasons why studying and understanding CV health among Hispanics is extremely important include: