Abstract 15991: African American Women Attending a Community Blood Pressure Screening Program

Abstract

Background: The socioeconomic determinants of health (SEDoH) are contributors to the widening health disparities between White and AA women. Low income is a key contributor to poor cardiovascular (CV) health. Limited data exists on socioeconomic characteristics of African American (AA) women attending community blood pressure (BP) screenings. Objective: To examine whether income is related to BP in AA women attending community health screenings. Methods: AA women (n=972) attending community health screenings in metro Atlanta were evaluated from 2015 to 2019. Sociodemographics, health histories, point of care lipids, and BP were collected. Hypertension (HTN) was defined as systolic BP (SBP) >130 or diastolic BP (DBP) > 80 mmHg. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and OLS linear regression were used to examine SEDoH and BP after adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, and lipids. Results: Mean age was 51±14.1 years, mean SBP 132±19.6 mmHg and DBP 82±12 mmHg. In the unadjusted regression model, income of $48K-$96K (ß=4.1, se=2.0, p=<.04) was associated with a higher SBP compared to those earning $96K and above. After adjusting for covariates, income groups <$24K (ß=7.0, se=2.7, p=.01), $24K-$48K (ß=4.6, se=2.3, p=.05), & $48K-$96K (ß=5.5, se=2.1, p=.01) were associated with a higher SBP. Age (ß=.52, se=.05, p=<.001), BMI (ß=.53, se=.10, p=<.001), current smoking (ß=7.7, se=3.5, p=.03) and total cholesterol (ß=1.0, se=.04, p=.02) were the only covariates significantly associated with increased SBP. Income of $48K-$96K (ß=2.7, se=1.4, p=.05) and current smoking (ß=5.1, se=2.3, p=.03) were associated with a higher DBP in the fully adjusted models. Conclusions: Middle-aged AA women have higher prevalence of HTN, even those with higher incomes. Understanding CV risks and SEDoH, between high and low levels of income, is essential to improving culturally appropriate care. Community based BP screenings targeting both low and middle income AA women are needed to identify AA women with HTN and reduce CV events.