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Black Americans are 54% more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than white Americans, despite significant reductions in cardiovascular disease mortality rates nationwide.
Now, a new study from Tulane University… Annual report of internal medicine found that this racial disparity may be due to social factors such as unemployment, low income, and lack of a partner, rather than to known factors such as high blood pressure or obesity.
“For years, we have focused on smoking, diet, exercise, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, and while we know these are important in preventing cardiovascular disease, “We were surprised by the differences among whites. Cardiovascular disease mortality is primarily due to social factors,” said first author Zhang He, Ph.D., Joseph S. Copes Professor of Epidemiology at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. said.
The study used health data from more than 50,000 adults to identify clinical risk factors (obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol) and lifestyle risk factors (smoking, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, lack of sleep). (too much or too much). ), and social risk factors associated with cardiovascular mortality (unemployment, low household income, food insecurity, low education, lack of regular access to health care, lack of private health insurance, lack of home ownership, lack of marriage) (not living with partner).
“After adjusting for lifestyle and clinical risk factors, the black-white disparity in cardiovascular disease mortality narrowed, but it remained,” he said. “But once we adjusted for social risk factors, this racial difference completely disappeared.”
This study follows another recent Tulane study that also found that black Americans are 59% more likely to die prematurely than white Americans. Adjusting for these social factors, also known as social determinants of health, reduced the disparity to zero.
Although social determinants of health is a relatively new framework, the CDC’s Healthy People 2030 initiative highlights eight areas of life that are essential to health and well-being.
For He, the findings highlight the importance of well-paying jobs, access to health care, and social support from family and close-knit communities.
Going forward, he will put these findings into practice in a program aimed at addressing high blood pressure in New Orleans’ black community by partnering with local churches to provide health screening training and free medication. .
“Developing new community-based interventions is essential to reducing cardiovascular disease risk in Black populations,” he said.
