Despite well-documented cardiovascular disparities between racial groups, within-race determinants of cardiovascular health remain understudied. The objective of this study was to examine whether neighborhood-level cardiovascular resilience and individual psychosocial resilience are associated with better cardiovascular health in Black adults.
LS7 scores in 389 Black adults (39% men; mean age of 53 years) living in Atlanta, Georgia were assessed. The generalized linear mixed regression models were used to examine the association between neighborhood cardiovascular resilience, LS7 scores, and individual psychosocial resilience. Higher individual psychosocial resilience was significantly associated with higher LS7 (β=0.38) after the adjustment of sociodemographic factors. Likewise, higher neighborhood-level cardiovascular resilience was associated with higher LS7 (β=0.23). When evaluated in conjunction, high individual psychosocial resilience was independently associated with higher LS7 (β=0.73), whereas living in high-resilience neighborhoods wasn’t.
In conclusion, individual psychosocial resilience, composed of constructs of psychosocial health, was associated with better CVH among Black adults living in a Southern metropolitan city, irrespective of neighborhood-level resilience. The findings highlight the importance of individual psychosocial factors that promote CVH among Black adults, traditionally considered a high-risk population. Further research into the mechanistic links underlying our observed associations is needed to derive more specific insights into developing novel and effective intervention strategies to improve the CVH of Black adults and other vulnerable populations.
Ref: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.120.006638
