title: Effects of neighborhood socioeconomic status on blood pressure in older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test if the neighborhood socioeconomic status is associated with systolic blood pressure and hypertension in older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional population-based study with a sample of 1,705 older adults from Florianópolis, SC, Southern Brazil. The contextual variable used was the average years of schooling of the head of the household in census tracts. Participants were considered hypertensive when the systolic blood pressure was ≥ 140 mmHg, diastolic ≥ 90 mmHg, or both. Additionally, the use of antihypertensive medication was also considered. Data were analyzed by using multilevel models of logistic and linear regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average age of the sample was 70.7 years and the average of systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 133.5 mmHg (SD = 20.5 mmHg) and 81.9 mmHg (SD = 12.5 mmHg), respectively. The systolic blood pressure was 4.46 mmHg (95%CI 1.00-7.92) higher and the chance of hypertension was 1.80 (95%CI 1.26-2.57) among those who lived in census tracts with lower level of schooling. When the use of antihypertensive medication was combined with blood pressure levels, none association was found between the outcome and the level of schooling of the census tract.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Analytical models more robust (such as multilevel analysis) in Brazil are still little used, with a small number of articles published. Neighborhood socioeconomic status is associated with systolic blood pressure and the chance of hypertension, regardless of individual characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Pública. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Florianópolis, SC, Brasil.
authors.forename: Katia Jakovljevic Pudla
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Pública. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Florianópolis, SC, Brasil.|Department of Society, Human Development and Health. Harvard School of Public Health. Massachusetts, United States.
authors.forename: Antonio Fernando
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Boing
authors.affiliation: Department of Society, Human Development and Health. Harvard School of Public Health. Massachusetts, United States.
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Pública. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Florianópolis, SC, Brasil.
authors.forename: Doroteia Aparecida
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Höfelmann
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Pública. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Florianópolis, SC, Brasil.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: D'Orsi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents