title: Hair cortisol in relation to sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics in a multiethnic US sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the feasibility of obtaining hair samples from men and women at community-based barbershops and hair salons for analysis of cortisol and assessed sociodemographic and lifestyle correlates of hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs). A total of 102 participants completed the study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Research staff interviewed participants using a structured questionnaire, and samples of hair were collected. HCCs were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Age- and sex-adjusted linear regression models were used to evaluate the association of HCC with covariates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analyses by race/ethnicity showed highest median HCC in blacks (12.5 [6.9-29.3]) pg/mg) followed by Hispanics (10.7 [5.8-14.9] pg/mg), whites (5.0 [3.8-10.8] pg/mg), and other participants (4.2 [3.3-15.7] pg/mg), P < .01. Current smokers had significantly higher median HCC (11.7 [8.8-18.9] pg/mg) compared with former smokers (4.6 [3.5-14.6] pg/mg) and those who had never smoked (6.9 [4.7-12.8] pg/mg), P = .04. After adjustment for age and sex, geometric mean HCC was 0.72 pg/mg lower in dyed hair compared with hair that was not dyed (β = -0.72, standard error = 0.30, 95% confidence interval, -1.29 to -0.15, P = .02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HCC can be assessed in community-based studies. Future HCC studies should consider cosmetic hair treatment, cigarette smoking, and the potential role of psychosocial stressors in the association between race/ethnicity and HCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Electronic address: awosu@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Adaeze C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Wosu
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Bizu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gelaye
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Center of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: Unnur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Valdimarsdóttir
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kirschbaum
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stalder
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Genomics, Vulnerable Populations and Health Disparities, Mongan Institute for Health Policy, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Alexandra E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Shields
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D008019:Life Style / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044469:Racial Groups; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology / Q000378:metabolism; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Biomarker; Chronic stress; Community; Correlates; Ethnicity; Race