Racial Residential Segregation and Race Differences in Ideal Cardiovascular Health among Young Men.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Cardiovascular Health
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Significant race disparities exist in cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality among men.
• Young adulthood health and racial residential segregation (RRS) are known CVD risk factors but understudied in men.
• This study examines race differences in ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) and the influence of RRS in young men.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate race-based differences in ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) among young men aged 24-34.
• To determine if racial residential segregation (RRS) modifies the association between race and ideal CVH in this demographic.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cross-sectional data from 5080 young men from Wave IV (2008) of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health.
• Defined ideal CVH as meeting at least 4 of the American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 targets.
• Analyzed race (Black/White) and RRS (proportion of White residents in census tract) using descriptive and multivariate statistical methods.

Main Results:

• Young Black men exhibited lower odds of achieving ideal CVH compared to young White men (OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.49, 0.92).
• Racial residential segregation (RRS) significantly influenced race differences in ideal CVH only when the proportion of White residents in a census tract was 55% or higher.

Conclusions:

• Racial residential segregation (RRS) is a crucial factor in understanding cardiovascular health (CVH) disparities between young Black and White men.
• Addressing RRS may be essential for reducing future cardiovascular risk in diverse male populations.