Excess Burden of Poverty and Hypertension, by Race and Ethnicity, on the Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease

IntroductionCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. Certain demographic characteristics are associated with disparities in CVD and its risk factors, which may interact with specific social determinants of health (SDOH). We examined the association of a single SDOH (ie, poverty level) with diagnosed CVD morbidity and the joint influence of poverty and hypertension on the prevalence of CVD morbidity among non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic White, and Hispanic people aged 30 years or older.MethodsWe used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected during 1999 to 2018. We assessed the prevalence of diagnosed CVD morbidity (eg, self-reported coronary heart disease, angina, myocardial infarction, or stroke) by using a Poisson family with a log link regression model. We calculated the additive interaction of poverty level with hypertension on diagnosed CVD morbidity for each race and ethnicity.ResultsWe found excess CVD morbidity among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic people experiencing poverty and diagnosed with hypertension compared with their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Multivariate analysis found a higher prevalence of CVD among participants of all races and ethnicities who were experiencing poverty and among non-Hispanic White people who had less than a college education. In addition, age, hypertension, poverty, smoking, and weight were significant predictors of the prevalence of CVD morbidity among all racial and ethnic groups.ConclusionChanges to interventions, policies, and research may be needed to address the effect of key indicators of health disparities and specific SDOH, such as poverty level, that intersect with hypertension and contribute to excess CVD morbidity among people of some racial and ethnic groups, particularly non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations.SummaryWhat is already known on this topic?Some racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease (CVD). Hypertension is a major risk factor for CVD. The social determinants of health, such as poverty, affect the development and course of CVD.What is added by this report?We found excess CVD morbidity among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic people experiencing poverty and diagnosed with hypertension compared with their non-Hispanic White counterparts.What are the implications for public health practice?Comprehensive, culturally tailored, multilevel approaches, interventions, and