Neighborhood Has Impact On Black Women's Risk For Hypertension

Main Category: Hypertension
Also Included In: Cardiovascular / Cardiology;  Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 01 Mar 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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Living in a poor neighborhood increases a black woman's risk for hypertension even if she has a relatively high income or education level and exercises regularly.

Researchers used data collected in the Black Women's Health Study, a prospective follow-up study of 59,000 black women ages 21-69 at entry in 1995. Median housing value from U.S. Census Bureau data was used as a measure of neighborhood socioeconomic status. Cases of hypertension were identified through mailed questionnaires, and the accuracy of self-report was found to be very high.

The study found that median housing value is inversely associated with hypertension in black women but is independent of their individual risk factors such as weight and physical inactivity. "Lowering hypertension risk in black women will require a greater understanding of the underlying social inequalities that adversely affect health and of the mechanisms and pathways that are amenable to intervention," the study's authors said. [From: "Relation Between Neighborhood Median Housing Value and Hypertension Risk Among Black Women in the United States" Contact: Yvette C. Cozier, DSc, MPH, Slone Epidemiology Center, Boston University.]

The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly journal of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the oldest organization of public health professionals in the world. APHA is a leading publisher of books and periodicals promoting sound scientific standards, action programs and public policy to enhance health. More information is available at http://www.apha.org.

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