Abstract
Introduction: African American (AA) men are burdened by high cardiovascular risk and have the highest age-adjusted all-cause mortality rate in the United States of America (US). Socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with improved cardiovascular risk factors in majority populations, but there is a paucity of data in AA men. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that higher levels of socioeconomic status would be associated with higher attainment of ideal cardiovascular health in AA men. Methods: We examined the association of socioeconomic status measures including education, income, occupation, and insurance status with an ideal cardiovascular health (ICH) score which included blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and smoking in African American Male Wellness Walks (AAMWW). Six metrics of ICH were categorized into a three-tiered ICH score 0-2, 3-4, 5-6. Ordinal logistic regression modeling was performed with adjustment for age. Results: Among 1,444 men, 108 (7%) attained 5-6 ICH metrics at baseline. After adjustment for age, none of the baseline indicators of socioeconomic status were associated with attainment of ICH. Conclusion: In our community-dwelling sample of AA men, the proportion of individuals with highest scores for ICH was very low, and SES was not associated with greater attainment of ICH. Strategies to increase attainment of cardiovascular health in AA men by health care professionals and policymakers need to incorporate intentional interventions beyond the scope of SES in order to advance health equity in AA men.
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