Perceived Interpersonal Racism in Relation to Incident Coronary Heart Disease Among Black Women
View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Experiences of racism in jobs, housing, or police interactions are linked to increased coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in Black women. Racism in daily life did not show a significant association with CHD risk.
Area Of Science
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Social Determinants of Health
Background
- Racism is a pervasive issue in the United States.
- Limited data exist on the association between perceived interpersonal racism and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk.
Purpose Of The Study
- To investigate the association between perceived interpersonal racism and the risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) among Black women.
- To differentiate the impact of racism experienced in specific contexts (employment, housing, police) versus daily life.
Main Methods
- Followed 48,305 Black women in the Black Women's Health Study from 1997 to 2019.
- Assessed perceived interpersonal racism through validated questionnaires on daily activities and specific interactions (jobs, housing, police).
- Used Cox proportional hazard models to analyze the association between racism experiences and incident CHD cases, adjusting for confounders.
Main Results
- Over 22 years, 1947 incident CHD cases were identified.
- Women reporting racism in employment, housing, or police interactions had a 26% higher multivariable-adjusted risk of CHD (HR=1.26, 95% CI=1.05-1.51).
- Perceived racism in daily life was not significantly associated with CHD risk after multivariable adjustment.
Conclusions
- Perceived racism in employment, housing, and police interactions is associated with an increased incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) among Black women.
- Racism experienced in everyday life did not demonstrate a significant association with higher CHD risk in this cohort.
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