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Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Keywords
Blood pressure, neighborhood stress, neighborhood socioeconomic status, health.
Department
Psychology
Major
Psychology
Abstract
Background: Literature has shown that the African American community disproportionately experiences certain health outcomes and poverty-stricken neighborhoods where myriad circumstances might raise their acute and chronic stress levels. Given that stress is associated with heightened cardiovascular activity, neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and stressful neighborhood conditions may be associated with adverse blood pressure (BP) parameters and associated negative health outcomes in African Americans. Objective: We explored the associations between neighborhood factors assessed at baseline and in daily life moments with nocturnal BP dipping in African American young adults. Methods: Healthy African American young adults (N=105) completed 2 or 4 days of hourly ambulatory BP monitoring and ecological momentary assessment surveys and a baseline survey. Neighborhood SES was assessed as the percentage of families living under the poverty threshold. Neighborhood stress and neighborhood cohesion were assessed using subscales of a neighborhood collective socialization scale (Sampson et al., 1997) and a community disorder scale (Cutrona et al., 2000). Neighborhood factors were assessed at the baseline level and, in a subsample, the momentary level. Nocturnal BP dipping was assessed as a percentage [i.e., (daytime BP - nighttime BP) / daytime BP]. Results: An interaction between neighborhood SES and community disorder was associated with less systolic BP dipping, p = .025, η2 = .06. Specifically, among those with high levels of community disorder, higher levels of neighborhood SES were more strongly associated with less dipping. Further, higher neighborhood cohesion was associated with greater diastolic BP dipping, b = .09, p = .049, η2 = .04. Results regarding momentary level neighborhood stressors will be presented. Conclusions: The absence of nocturnal BP dipping has been associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Because diminished dipping was associated with neighborhood SES and community disorder while greater dipping was associated with neighborhood cohesion, we can infer that neighborhood factors may be risk factors for future CVD. Further research should investigate the compounding effects of additional characteristics of neighborhoods on cardiovascular health, such as the quality of healthcare or food insecurity.
Faculty Mentor
Nataria T. Joseph, PhD
Funding Source or Research Program
Not Identified
Presentation Session
Session C
Start Date
23-4-2021 2:15 PM
End Date
23-4-2021 2:30 PM
Community Conditions and Cardiovascular Health: Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Perceptions as Predictors of Nocturnal Blood Pressure Dipping in African American Young Adults
Background: Literature has shown that the African American community disproportionately experiences certain health outcomes and poverty-stricken neighborhoods where myriad circumstances might raise their acute and chronic stress levels. Given that stress is associated with heightened cardiovascular activity, neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and stressful neighborhood conditions may be associated with adverse blood pressure (BP) parameters and associated negative health outcomes in African Americans. Objective: We explored the associations between neighborhood factors assessed at baseline and in daily life moments with nocturnal BP dipping in African American young adults. Methods: Healthy African American young adults (N=105) completed 2 or 4 days of hourly ambulatory BP monitoring and ecological momentary assessment surveys and a baseline survey. Neighborhood SES was assessed as the percentage of families living under the poverty threshold. Neighborhood stress and neighborhood cohesion were assessed using subscales of a neighborhood collective socialization scale (Sampson et al., 1997) and a community disorder scale (Cutrona et al., 2000). Neighborhood factors were assessed at the baseline level and, in a subsample, the momentary level. Nocturnal BP dipping was assessed as a percentage [i.e., (daytime BP - nighttime BP) / daytime BP]. Results: An interaction between neighborhood SES and community disorder was associated with less systolic BP dipping, p = .025, η2 = .06. Specifically, among those with high levels of community disorder, higher levels of neighborhood SES were more strongly associated with less dipping. Further, higher neighborhood cohesion was associated with greater diastolic BP dipping, b = .09, p = .049, η2 = .04. Results regarding momentary level neighborhood stressors will be presented. Conclusions: The absence of nocturnal BP dipping has been associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Because diminished dipping was associated with neighborhood SES and community disorder while greater dipping was associated with neighborhood cohesion, we can infer that neighborhood factors may be risk factors for future CVD. Further research should investigate the compounding effects of additional characteristics of neighborhoods on cardiovascular health, such as the quality of healthcare or food insecurity.