A new study has revealed that Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities face the highest risk of ischemic stroke in the United States—far surpassing other racial and ethnic groups. The study, led by Dr. Fadar O. Otite and published in Neurology, analyzed six years of hospital data from Florida, Georgia, Maryland, and New York.
The findings are stark: Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders experienced 591 strokes per 100,000 people. That’s more than double the rate for Black individuals (292), over three times the rate for white individuals (180), and nearly six times the rate for Asian individuals (108). Even after adjusting for hospitalization length and medical advances, the disparities remained.
“These findings also lend support to the need for parsing out information on race and ethnicity in health care databases,” said Otite, noting that Asian and Pacific Islander populations are often grouped together, masking critical differences.
Geographic variation added another layer to the disparity. In Florida, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders had lower stroke rates than Black individuals, but in Georgia, Maryland, and New York, their rates were higher. Researchers suggest this may reflect differences in healthcare access or region-specific health risks.
The study underscores the urgent need for more targeted research and public health interventions. As Otite emphasized, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders are among the fastest-growing populations in the U.S. and already face high rates of cardiovascular disease.
See: “Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders face highest stroke risk” (September 2, 2025)
