Abstract P360: Social and Psychosocial Determinants of Racial and Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Health: The MESA and MASALA Studies

Abstract

Background: Social and psychosocial factors are associated with cardiovascular health (CVH) and may underlie race/ethnic differences in CVH. Quantifying the contribution of individual-level social and psychosocial factors to racial and ethnic differences in CVH may guide strategies to reduce disparities. Methods: In the MESA and MASALA cohorts, Kitagawa-Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition quantified the contributions of social and psychosocial factors to differences in mean CVH score (range 0-14, with 14 indicating optimal CVH) in Black, Chinese, Hispanic, or South Asian compared with White participants. Results: Among 7,978 adults (mean age 61 [SE 10] years, 52% female), there were 1,892 Black (mean CVH score 7.96), 804 Chinese (CVH 9.69), 1,496 Hispanic (CVH 8.00), 1,164 South Asian (CVH 9.16), and 2,622 White (CVH 8.91) participants. The factors that statistically contributed the most to explained differences in mean CVH score were income for Black participants (if mean income in Black participants were equivalent to White participants, Black participants’ mean CVH score would be 0.14 points higher, p<0.05); place of birth for Chinese participants (if proportion of US-born and foreign-born individuals among Chinese adults were equivalent to White participants, Chinese participants’ mean CVH score would be 0.22 points lower, p<0.05); and education for Hispanic and South Asian participants (if educational attainment were equivalent to White participants, Hispanic and South Asian participants’ mean CVH score would be 0.55 points higher and 0.37 points lower, respectively, p<0.05 for both). Conclusions: In this multiethnic US cohort, social and psychosocial factors statistically explained racial and ethnic differences in CVH. Socioeconomic and immigration-related factors contributed the largest magnitude to CVH differences between race and ethnic groups.