title: Ethnic differences in inter- and intra-situational blood pressure variation: Comparisons among African-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American, and European-American women.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare the daily inter- and intra-situational ambulatory blood pressure (BP) variation by ethnicity in women.
  
  
  
  The African-American (N = 82; Age = 39.7 + 8.9), Hispanic-American (N = 25; age = 37.5 + 9.4), Asian-American (N = 22; Age = 35.2 + 8.6), and European-American (N = 122; Age = 37.2+ 9.4) women in this study all worked in similar positions at two major medical centers in NYC. Each wore an ambulatory monitor during the course of one mid-week workday. Proportional BP changes from work or home to sleep, intra-situational BP variation (standard deviation [SD]) and mean situational BP levels were compared among the groups using ANOVA models.
  
  
  
  African-American and Asian-American women had significantly smaller proportional work-sleep systolic changes than either European- (P < 0.05) or Hispanic-American (P < 0.05) women, but the Asian-American women's changes tended to be smallest. The variability (SD) of diastolic BP at work was significantly greater among African- and Hispanic-American women compared to Asian- and European-American women (all P < 0.05). African-American women had greater sleep variability than European-American women (P < 0.05). Asian-American women had the highest level of sleep diastolic pressure (all comparisons P < 0.05).
  
  
  
  African-American and Asian-American women have an attenuated proportional BP decline from waking environments to sleep compared to European-American and Hispanic-American women. Asian-American nocturnal BP may be elevated relative to all other groups. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:932-935, 2016. © 2016Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, 13902.|Decker School of Nursing, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, 13902.|Department of Biomedical Engineering, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, 13902.
authors.forename: Gary D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, Behavioral & Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15232.|Biobehavioral Oncology Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15232.
authors.forename: Dana H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Bovbjerg
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, 13902.
authors.forename: Leah A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D001213:Asian; D001794:Blood Pressure; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D044465:White People