title: Cross-sectional relations of race and poverty status to cardiovascular risk factors in the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Lifespan (HANDLS) study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Examine interactive relations of race and poverty status with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in a socioeconomically diverse sample of urban-dwelling African American (AA) and White adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 2,270 AAs and Whites (57% AA; 57% female; ages 30-64 years) who completed the first wave of the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span (HANDLS) study. CVD risk factors assessed included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), total cholesterol (TC), high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), and systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure (SBP, DBP, PP). Interactive and independent relations of race, poverty status, and sex were examined for each outcome via ordinary least squares regression adjusted for age, education, literacy, substance use, depressive symptoms, perceived health care barriers, medical co-morbidities, and medications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant interactions of race and poverty status (p's < .05) indicated that AAs living in poverty had lower BMI and WC and higher HDL-C than non-poverty AAs, whereas Whites living in poverty had higher BMI and WC and lower HDL-C than non-poverty Whites. Main effects of race revealed that AAs had higher levels of HbA1c, SBP, and PP, and Whites had higher levels of TC, LDL-C and TG (p's < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Poverty status moderated race differences for BMI, WC, and HDL-C, conveying increased risk among Whites living in poverty, but reduced risk in their AA counterparts. Race differences for six additional risk factors withstood extensive statistical adjustments including SES indicators.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA. waldstei@umbc.edu.
authors.forename: Shari R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Waldstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA.
authors.forename: Danielle L Beatty
authors.initials: DLB
authors.lastname: Moody
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA.|Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: McNeely
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA.
authors.forename: Allyssa J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA.
authors.forename: Mollie R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Sprung
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA.|Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Mauli T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Al'Najjar
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Michele K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Alan B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Zonderman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000375:Aging; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D055105:Waist Circumference; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D008055:Lipids
keywords: Blood pressure; Body composition; C-reactive protein; Cardiovascular risk factors; Glucose; Lipids; Poverty; Race; Socioeconomic status