title: Racial discrimination and blood pressure: the CARDIA Study of young black and white adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined associations between blood pressure and self reported experiences of racial discrimination and responses to unfair treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey data were collected in year 7 (1992/93) of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, a prospective multisite community-based investigation. Participants included 831 Black men, 1143 Black women, 1006 White men, and 1106 White women 25 to 37 years old.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Systolic blood pressure among working-class Black adults reporting that they typically accepted unfair treatment and had experienced racial discrimination in none of seven situations was about 7 mm Hg higher than among those reporting that they challenged unfair treatment and experienced racial discrimination in one or two of the situations. Among professional Black adults, systolic blood pressure was 9 to 10 mm Hg lower among those reporting that they typically challenged unfair treatment and had not experienced racial discrimination. Black-White differences in blood pressure were substantially reduced by taking into account reported experiences of racial discrimination and responses to unfair treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Research on racial/ ethnic distributions of blood pressure should take into account how discrimination may harm health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Social Behaviour, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass 02115, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Krieger
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sidney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D044383:Black People; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009790:Occupations; D011287:Prejudice; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D044465:White People