title: Receipt of public assistance during childhood and hypertension risk in adulthood.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined if receipt of public assistance during childhood lowered risk for hypertension by mid-life in a cohort of African Americans in the Southeastern United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used multiple logistic regression models to assess the relationship between receipt of public assistance during childhood and adult hypertension among 405 male and 737 female adult participants enrolled between 1988 and 2001 in the Pitt County Study, a community-based prospective cohort study of African Americans in North Carolina. Statistical analyses were adjusted for child and adult sociodemographic measures as well as adult psychosocial and lifestyle factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women who grew up in economically disadvantaged families and who received public assistance during childhood had a 66% decreased odds of hypertension by mid-life compared with women similarly disadvantaged in childhood but who did not receive public assistance, odds ratio = 0.34; 95% confidence interval: 0.14-0.83. No association was observed for African American men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Receipt of anti-poverty federal assistance during childhood was associated with reduced risk for hypertension by mid-life among African American women. It is possible that social expenditures on public assistance programs for families in need could produce long-term health benefits for children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Science, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. Electronic address: debbie.barrington@georgetown.edu.
authors.forename: Debbie S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Barrington
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Sherman A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011632:Public Assistance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: African Americans; Hypertension; Poverty; Public assistance; Public policy