title: The cultural gradient: culture moderates the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and ambulatory blood pressure.
abstract: A social gradient has been consistently demonstrated in Western countries with higher socioeconomic status (SES) related to lower blood pressure (BP). In non-Western countries, however, the social gradient is not always evident, with some countries appearing to show a reversed social gradient. It was hypothesized that culture moderates the social gradient, with the relationship between SES and BP differing as a function of culture. To investigate the idea of a "cultural gradient" a sample of Hispanic immigrants and Whites was studied. A total of 79 participants (30 Hispanic immigrant, 49 White) wore ambulatory blood pressure monitors for 24 h. The Hispanic immigrants also completed the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans- II. Hispanic immigrants had lower SES and lower BP compared to Whites. A cultural gradient moderating the social gradient was evident with Hispanic immigrants displaying a positive relationship between SES and BP and Whites displaying a negative relationship. Among Hispanic immigrants, increased acculturation to Western culture decreased the positive relationship between SES and BP. Just as there is a social gradient with increasing socioeconomic status related to better cardiovascular health, there appears to be a cultural gradient with increasing acculturation to Western society related to worse cardiovascular health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA. steffen@byu.edu
authors.forename: Patrick R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Steffen
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States; D044465:White People