Blood pressure determinants in a middle-class black population: the University of Pittsburgh experience

The relationship between blood pressure and cardiovascular risk factors including obesity, smoking, Type A behavior, anger, stress, geographic mobility, and socioeconomic status was assessed in 173 black college freshmen ages 16-22. In comparison with the overall black population of the United States, these students were generally from better educated, relatively affluent, black families. Among women, body mass index was a positive, independent predictor of systolic blood pressure, whereas alcohol consumption and state anger were inverse, independent predictors. Geographic mobility was found to be a positive, independent predictor of diastolic blood pressure among women. Among men, body mass index and heart rate were independent, positive predictors of systolic blood pressure. This study demonstrates important correlations between biological and psychosocial factors and blood pressure in an understudied population.