title: Socioeconomic status and blood pressure reactivity in healthy black adolescents.
abstract: Adolescents in low-socioeconomic-status environments are more susceptible to illnesses, such as hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. This study examined the influence of both neighborhood- and family-level socioeconomic status (SES) on blood pressure (BP) reactivity in a healthy sample of 76 black adolescents. It was hypothesized that a higher level of parental education and/or income would reduce the elevated BP reactivity associated with living in poorer neighborhoods. Census-derived data were obtained using each participant's address. Neighborhood level of SES was based on percentage of households below the poverty line, female-headed households, owner-occupied housing, percentage vacant housing, and average number of persons per household. Family level of SES was based on self-reported level of parental education and annual family income. Adolescents participated in a competitive video game to establish their BP reactivity scores. As predicted, adolescents who lived in poorer neighborhoods had lower diastolic BPs if their parents were more (versus less) educated (P<0.05; 7+/-8 versus 13+/-6 mm Hg). Adolescents who lived in poorer neighborhoods also had significantly lower diastolic BP reactivity (P<0.05) if their family had a higher (versus lower) annual income (7+/-7 versus 12+/-8 mm Hg). These data are the first to demonstrate the buffering effect of family SES on the negative health consequences of living in low-SES neighborhoods in healthy black adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298-0160, USA. dkwilson@hsc.vcu.edu
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kliewer
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Plybon
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sica
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty; D012016:Reference Values; D012923:Social Class; D018910:Video Games