title: Pathways between socioeconomic status and modifiable risk factors among African American smokers.
abstract: Although socioeconomic status is a major contributing factor to health disparities, the mechanisms through which socioeconomic status influences health remain unclear. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate an a priori conceptual model of the pathways between socioeconomic status and modifiable health risk factors in a sample of 399 African Americans seeking smoking cessation treatment. A latent variable modeling approach was utilized to characterize the interrelationships among socioeconomic status, neighborhood disadvantage, social support, negative affect/perceived stress, and three specific modifiable risk factors (i.e., overweight/obesity, insufficient physical activity, at-risk drinking). Findings indicated that neighborhood disadvantage, social support, and negative affect/perceived stress function as pathways linking socioeconomic status and modifiable risk factors among African American smokers, and negative affect/perceived stress appears to play a key mediating role. Policy, community, and individual-level interventions may attenuate the impact of socioeconomic status on health by targeting intermediate psychosocial, environmental, and behavioral pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Disparities Research, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. dkendzor@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: Darla E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Kendzor
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Businelle
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mazas
authors.forename: Ludmila M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Cofta-Woerpel
authors.forename: Lorraine R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Reitzel
authors.forename: Jennifer Irvin
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Vidrine
authors.forename: Yisheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Tracy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Costello
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Cinciripini
authors.forename: Jasjit S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Ahluwalia
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Wetter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D012923:Social Class; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires