Dataset Information

Association between telomere length and neighborhood characteristics by race and region in US midlife and older adults.

ABSTRACT: Disadvantaged neighborhoods are correlated with worse health outcomes, particularly among US Blacks. However, less is known about the link between neighborhood characteristics and biomarkers of cellular age, such as telomere length (TL), which may be implicated in racial health inequities. Moreover, this relationship may vary across US region given patterns of racial segregation across the US. Therefore, this study analyzed 2008 Health and Retirement Study data on 3,869 US-born white and Black adults >50 years old to examine race differences in the relationship between salivary TL and (1) neighborhood safety, cleanliness, and social cohesion and (2) interactions between neighborhood characteristics and US region. Neighborhood characteristics were not associated with TL in whites. However, significant associations were found among Blacks with variation by region. Blacks living in less clean neighborhoods in the Northeast (b = -0.03, SE = 0.01, p < 0.05), Midwest (b = -0.04, SE = 0.01, p < 0.01), and South (b = -0.05, SE = 0.01, p < 0.01) as well as those reporting less neighborhood safety and social cohesion in the Midwest (b = -0.03, SE = 0.02, p < 0.05 and b = -0.03, SE = 0.01, p < 0.05) and South (b = -0.03, SE = 0.01, p < 0.05 for both characteristics) had shorter TL than Blacks in the West. Therefore, exposure to neighborhood level historical discrimination and neglect may be detrimental to TL in Blacks. Future research should further examine how neighborhoods contribute to aging disparities.

SUBMITTER: Thierry AD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7266826 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Association between telomere length and neighborhood characteristics by race and region in US midlife and older adults.

Thierry Amy D AD

Health & place 20191220

Disadvantaged neighborhoods are correlated with worse health outcomes, particularly among US Blacks. However, less is known about the link between neighborhood characteristics and biomarkers of cellular age, such as telomere length (TL), which may be implicated in racial health inequities. Moreover, this relationship may vary across US region given patterns of racial segregation across the US. Therefore, this study analyzed 2008 Health and Retirement Study data on 3,869 US-born white and Black a ...[more]

PMID: 32479352

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Project description:ImportanceThe local environment remains an understudied contributor to elevated blood pressure among older adults. Untargeted approaches can identify neighborhood conditions interrelated with racial segregation that drive hypertension disparities.ObjectiveTo evaluate independent associations of sociodemographic, economic, and housing neighborhood factors with elevated blood pressure.Design, setting, and participantsIn this cohort study, the sample included Health and Retirement Study participants who had between 1 and 3 sets of biennial sphygmomanometer readings from 2006 to 2014 or 2008 to 2016. Statistical analyses were conducted from February 5 to November 30, 2021.ExposuresFifty-one standardized American Community Survey census tract variables (2005-2009).Main outcomes and measuresElevated sphygmomanometer readings over the study period (6-year period prevalence): a value of at least 140 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure and/or at least 90 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure. Participants were divided 50:50 into training and test data sets. Generalized estimating equations were used to summarize multivariable associations between each neighborhood variable and the period prevalence of elevated blood pressure, adjusting for individual-level covariates. Any neighborhood factor associated (Simes-adjusted for multiple comparisons P ≤ .05) with elevated blood pressure in the training data set was rerun in the test data set to gauge model performance. Lastly, in the full cohort, race- and ethnicity-stratified associations were evaluated for each identified neighborhood factor on the likelihood of elevated blood pressure.ResultsOf 12 946 participants, 4565 (35%) had elevated sphygmomanometer readings (median [IQR] age, 68 [63-73] years; 2283 [50%] male; 228 [5%] Hispanic or Latino, 502 [11%] non-Hispanic Black, and 3761 [82%] non-Hispanic White). Between 2006 and 2016, a lower likelihood of elevated blood pressure was observed (relative risk for highest vs lowest tertile, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.86-0.96) among participants residing in a neighborhood with recent (post-1999) in-migration of homeowners. This association was precise among participants with non-Hispanic White and other race and ethnicity (relative risk, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85-0.97) but not non-Hispanic Black participants (relative risk, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.85-1.11; P = .48 for interaction) or Hispanic or Latino participants (relative risk, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.65-1.09; P = .78 for interaction).Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study of older adults, recent relocation of homeowners to a neighborhood was robustly associated with reduced likelihood of elevated blood pressure among White participants but not their racially and ethnically marginalized counterparts. Our findings indicate that gentrification may influence later-life blood pressure control.

Dataset Information

Association between telomere length and neighborhood characteristics by race and region in US midlife and older adults.

Publications

Association between telomere length and neighborhood characteristics by race and region in US midlife and older adults.

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