Abstract
BackgroundRecent emphasis has been placed on elucidating the biologic mechanism linking socioeconomic status (SES) to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Positive associations of inflammatory biomarkers provide evidence suggestive of a biologic pathway by which SES may predispose to CVD. African Americans have disproportionately lower SES and have a higher prevalence of CVD risk factors compared to most ethnic/racial groups. Adiponectin (an anti-inflammatory marker) is also lower. The objective of this study was to assess the association of adiponectin with SES among African American men and women using the Jackson Heart Study.MethodsStudy sample included 4340 participants. Linear regression was performed separately by SES and stratified by sex. Annual household income and level of education was used as proxies for SES. Crude, age, health behavior and health status adjusted models were analyzed. The main outcome was log-transformed adiponectin.ResultsMen in the lowest income group had significantly higher adiponectin than those in the highest income group in the fully adjusted model (ß/standard error [se], p value = .16/.08, p = .0008. Men with < high school level of education had significantly higher adiponectin in the crude and age adjusted models than those with ≥ college degree (.25/.05, p < .0001; .14/.05/ p = .005, respectively). Women with some college or vocational training in the crude and age adjusted models had lower adiponectin compared to women with ≥ college degree (−.09/.03, p = .004; −.06/.03, p = .04, respectively).ConclusionFindings suggest a potential inverse biologic pathway between annual household income and adiponectin among African American men. There was no such finding among women. Findings suggest interventions should be targeted for higher SES African American men to improve adiponectin levels.
Highlights
Recent emphasis has been placed on elucidating the biologic mechanism linking socioeconomic status (SES) to cardiovascular disease (CVD)
The objective of our study is to test the hypothesis that level of adiponectin may differ by SES among African American men and women and such association may be mediated by health status and health behavior
Unlike the association between SES and other novel biomarkers [5,6,7,8,9,10], our findings revealed lower SES African American men had higher protective levels of adiponectin when compared to higher SES men
Summary
Recent emphasis has been placed on elucidating the biologic mechanism linking socioeconomic status (SES) to cardiovascular disease (CVD). African Americans have disproportionately lower SES and have a higher prevalence of CVD risk factors compared to most ethnic/racial groups. Research has consistently demonstrated an inverse association with socioeconomic status (SES) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) related mortality, morbidity and risk factors [1,2,3,4]. Research demonstrates that African Americans have lower levels of adiponectin and a higher prevalence of obesity, hypertension and type 2 diabetes compared to other racial/ethnic groups in the United States [15, 16]. Research has not been conducted in the United States that compares the association between adiponectin and SES among African American men and women or any other racial/ethnic group. The objective of our study is to test the hypothesis that level of adiponectin may differ by SES among African American men and women and such association may be mediated by health status and health behavior
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