The association between neighborhood social vulnerability and cardiovascular health risk among Black/African American women in the InterGEN Study

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dc.contributor.author Ibrahim, Bridget Basile
dc.contributor.author Barcelona, Veronica
dc.contributor.author Condon, Eileen M.
dc.contributor.author Crusto, Cindy A.
dc.contributor.author Taylor, Jacquelyn Y.
dc.date.accessioned 2022-07-26T05:15:16Z
dc.date.available 2022-07-26T05:15:16Z
dc.date.issued 2021-09
dc.description.abstract BACKGROUND : Black/African American women in the United States are more likely to live in neighborhoods with higher social vulnerability than other racial/ethnic groups, even when adjusting for personal income. Social vulnerability, defined as the degree to which the social conditions of a community affect its ability to prevent loss and suffering in the event of disaster, has been used in research as an objective measure of neighborhood social vulnerability. Black/African American women also have the highest rates of hypertension and obesity in the United States. OBJECTIVES : The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between neighborhood social vulnerability and cardiovascular risk (hypertension and obesity) among Black/African American women. METHODS : We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the InterGEN Study that enrolled Black/African American women in the Northeast United States. Participants’ addresses were geocoded to ascertain neighborhood vulnerability using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index at the census tract level. We used multivariable regression models to examine associations between objective measures of neighborhood quality and indicators of structural racism and systolic and diastolic blood pressure and obesity (body mass index > 24.9) and to test psychological stress, coping, and depression as potential moderators of these relationships. RESULTS : Seventy-four percent of participating Black/African American women lived in neighborhoods in the top quartile for social vulnerability nationally. Women living in the top 10% of most socially vulnerable neighborhoods in our sample had more than a threefold greater likelihood of hypertension when compared to those living in less vulnerable neighborhoods. Objective neighborhood measures of structural racism (percentage of poverty, percentage of unemployment, percentage of residents >25 years old without a high school diploma, and percentage of residents without access to a vehicle) were significantly associated with elevated diastolic blood pressure and obesity in adjusted models. Psychological stress had a significant moderating effect on the associations between neighborhood vulnerability and cardiovascular risk. DISCUSSION : We identified important associations between structural racism, the neighborhood environment, and cardiovascular health among Black/African American women. These findings add to a critical body of evidence documenting the role of structural racism in perpetuating health inequities and highlight the need for a multifaceted approach to policy, research, and interventions to address racial health inequities. en_US
dc.description.department Psychology en_US
dc.description.librarian hj2022 en_US
dc.description.uri http://journals.lww.com/nursingresearchonline en_US
dc.identifier.citation Basile Ibrahim, Bridget; Barcelona, Veronica; Condon, Eileen M.; Crusto, Cindy A.; Taylor, Jacquelyn Y. The Association Between Neighborhood Social Vulnerability and Cardiovascular Health Risk Among Black/African American Women in the InterGEN Study, Nursing Research: 9/10 2021 - Volume 70 - Issue 5S - p S3-S12, doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000523. en_US
dc.identifier.issn 0029-6562 (print)
dc.identifier.issn 1538-9847 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000523
dc.identifier.uri https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/86444
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins en_US
dc.rights © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Nursing Research, 9/10 2021 - Volume 70 - Issue 5S - p S3-S12, doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000523. en_US
dc.subject Health equity en_US
dc.subject Hypertension en_US
dc.subject Obesity en_US
dc.subject Social determinants of health en_US
dc.subject Stress en_US
dc.subject Structural racism en_US
dc.subject Social vulnerability en_US
dc.subject Cardiovascular risk en_US
dc.subject Black/African American women en_US
dc.title The association between neighborhood social vulnerability and cardiovascular health risk among Black/African American women in the InterGEN Study en_US
dc.type Postprint Article en_US


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