Abstract 13236: Equitable Policy Lever? : State Minimum Wage Increases and Black - White Disparities in Hypertension

Abstract

Introduction: Non-Hispanic Black adults are disproportionately burdened by hypertension compared to White adults. Because Black adults are overrepresented in lower-wage occupations - and lower income is associated with elevated risk of hypertension - minimum wage increases have been explored as a potential policy lever to address Black-White disparities in hypertension. States have the authority to increase minimum wages for workers in their jurisdiction; and 31 states have exercised this authority. However, research suggests that minimum wage increases may have no significant impact on health among Black adults due to “diminished gain” of health effects from socioeconomic resources. This study examines whether Black-White disparities in hypertension persist after states increase minimum wage limits. Methods: This study merged state-year minimum wage data from the US Department of Labor with pooled cross-sectional survey data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to assess the relationship between state-level minimum wage increases and Black-White disparities in hypertension over time (2001 - 2019). Separate difference-in-difference models were estimated to individually compare the odds of hypertension among Black and White adults in states with and without minimum wage increases. A difference-in-difference-in-difference model estimated whether minimum wage increases had a differential impact on the odds of hypertension among Black adults compared to White adults. Results: Compared to Black and White adults in states without minimum wage increases, both Black (OR= 0.86; p-value=0.04) and White (OR= 0.86; p-value=0.02) adults had a significantly lower odds of hypertension following state increases in the minimum wage. However, the Black-White disparity in hypertension significantly increased following minimum wage increases (OR= 1.50; p-value<0.001). Conclusions: These findings suggest that minimum wage increases may benefit White adults significantly more than Black adults, resulting in an increased Black-White disparity in hypertension. As such, increasing minimum wage alone may not be an equitable policy approach to address this disparity.