Date of Conferral

12-3-2025

Date of Award

December 2025

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Public Health

Advisor

Jennifer Gadarowski,

Abstract

Hypertension remains a critical and often silent public health issue that disproportionately affects Latino men in California. This quantitative, retrospective cross-sectional study explored the social and contextual factors influencing hypertension among this vulnerable population. Using the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System dataset, which included a sample size of 2,060 participants, the study examined the relationship between hypertension and key variables including primary care utilization, health insurance, smoking, physical activity, mental health, and marital status, while controlling for age, education, and income. Guided by the health belief model, binary logistic regression analyses found health insurance and primary care utilization significantly associated with hypertension. Latino men with health insurance had higher odds of hypertension than those without (OR = 2.45, 95% CI [1.49, 4.05], p < .001). Compared to very recent healthcare users (<2 years), participants with intermediate (2–5 years) and infrequent (≥5 years) utilization had lower odds of hypertension (OR = 0.22, 95% CI [0.12, 0.40] and OR = 0.09, 95% CI [0.03, 0.30], both p < .001), likely reflecting underdiagnosis. Smoking was also significant: former smokers had higher odds of hypertension than current smokers (OR = 1.75, 95% CI [1.07, 2.87], p = .027). Older age and lower income were strongly associated with higher prevalence. These findings highlight the need to remove structural barriers and implement culturally responsive, accessible health programs to reduce cardiovascular health disparities and advance health equity with compassion and purpose.

Download

Included in

Public Health Commons

Share

 
COinS