Living Arrangement: a Contributor to Vascular Disease in Asymptomatic African American Women
Meldra Hall1, Elizabeth Ofili2, Rigobert Lapu-Bula2
1Master of Public Health Program, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
Insights
Living alone increases vascular disease risk in African American women. Living with others may protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD) and vascular disease (VD).
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Health
- Public Health
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the U.S.
- Diminished social support is linked to worse cardiovascular outcomes.
- African American women bear a disproportionate CVD burden.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between living arrangement and vascular function in African American women.
- To identify potential CVD susceptibilities in at-risk populations.
- To assess the impact of social support on vascular outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Vascular function assessed non-invasively using HDI/PulseWave CR-2000.
- Living arrangement (living alone vs. with others) represented social support.
- Multivariable analyses estimated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for vascular disease.
Main Results:
- 82% of women living alone exhibited vascular disease (p=0.03).
- Living with a spouse/partner or relative was associated with a 78% reduced risk of vascular disease (AOR=0.22).
- This protective association remained after adjusting for CVD risk factors.
Conclusions:
- Living arrangement is associated with vascular disease in African American women.
- Living alone may increase CVD risk, while living with others may be protective.
- Living arrangement can inform public health strategies for CVD prevention.
Background:
Diminished social support lias shown to lead to worse cardiovascular outcomes and since cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.), it is critical to non-invasively study its precursor- vascular disease (VD). Assessing the impact social support lias on vascular outcomes can unveil potential CVD susceptibilities in at-risk populations. African American women exhibit the greatest burden of CVD morbidity and mortality; therefore, the purpose of tins study is to examine the association between living arrangement/social support and impaired vascular function in asymptomatic African American women.
Methods:
Vascular function was assessed by a non-invasive screening tool, HDI/PulseWave CR-2000, during screenings at community outreach events on participants clinically free of CVD. Vascular disease was defined as abnormal/impaired vascular function. Living arrangement, a binary variable (living with someone/living alone), was determined by survey responses (N=67) and represented social support. Multivariable analyses were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to determine the association between living arrangement and vascular disease after controlling for confounders. Analyses were conducted using SAS 9.2.
Results:
Of those who lived alone, 82% had vascular disease (p=0.03). After adjusting for family CVD, and other CVD risk factors, those who lived with a spouse/partner or relative were 78% (p=0.04) less likely to develop vascular disease (AOR=0.22; 95% 0=0.05, 0.98).
Conclusions:
Our study provides preliminary evidence to suggest that among African American women, clinically free of CVD, living arrangement is associated with vascular disease. While living alone may place individuals at an increased risk of CVD because of the association, living with a spouse/partner or relative may act as a protective factor against vascular disease and reduce the risk of CVD. Public health practitioners may use individuals' living arrangement as preventive measure for CVD risk.
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