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Risk factor distribution among sociodemographically diverse African American adults

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Abstract

Because African Americans tend to have lower socioeconomic status (SES) than whites and numerous health indicators are related to SES variables, it is important when examining between-group differences in health indices to account for SES differences. This studyexamined the effects of income and education on several biologic and behavioral risk factors in a sample of sociodemographicallydiverse African American adults. Approximately 1,000 African American adults (aged 18–87) were recruited from 14 churches with predominantlyblack membership to participate in a nutrition education intervention. Demographics, height, weight, blood pressure, self-reported cigarette and alcohol use, self-reported diet byfood frequencyquestionnaire, serum carotenoids, serum total cholesterol, and nutrition knowledge were assessed. The association of these risk factors were examined byfour levels of education and income. For men, bodymass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, dailyintake of fruits and vegetables, serum carotenoids, heavyalcohol use, or exercise were not associated significantlywith income or education using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Past month alcohol use and nutrition knowledge were associated positivelywith education, but not income. For women, bodymass index and smoking were associated inverselywith income, but not with education. Blood pressure, total cholesterol, intake of fruits and vegetables, heavyalcohol use, and exercise were not associated with either income or education using ANOVA., Serum carotenoids, any 30-dayalcohol use, and nutrition knowledge were associated positivelywith both income and education. Results using linear regression generallywere similar for men and women, although a few more variables were associated significantlywith SES compared to ANOVA analyses. Several health indicators that have been associated with socioeconomic variables in whites were not associated or onlyweaklyassociated in this diverse sample of African Americans. One interpretation of these findings is that SES factors mayfunction differentlyamong blacks and whites.

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Author notes

  1. William N. Dudley

    Present address: University of Utah School of Nursing, Salt Lake CityUtah

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Preventive Medicine and Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas, Kansas City

    J’asjit S. Ahluwalia

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Baylor University School of Medicine, Houston, Texas

    Tom Baranowski

  3. Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Road, 30322, Atlanta, GA

    Ken Resnicow PhD,  Terry Wang,  William N. Dudley,  Alice Jackson &  Ronald L. Braithwaite

Authors
  1. Ken Resnicow PhD
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  2. Terry Wang
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  4. Alice Jackson
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  5. J’asjit S. Ahluwalia
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Correspondence to Ken Resnicow PhD.

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Resnicow, K., Wang, T., Dudley, W.N. et al. Risk factor distribution among sociodemographically diverse African American adults. J Urban Health 78, 125–140 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1093/jurban/78.1.125

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