WEDNESDAY, Sept. 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) — The magnitude of association of socioeconomic status (SES) with the American Heart Association Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) is greatest among non-Hispanic White Americans (NHWA), according to a study published online Sept. 13 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Amaris Williams, Ph.D., from The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, and colleagues examined the association of four SES categories (education, income-to-poverty line ratio, employment, and insurance) with LE8 using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2011 to 2018. Data were included for 13,529 participants with a median age of 48 years.

The researchers found that the magnitude of the positive association for college education versus high school or less with LE8 was greater for NHWA than for non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic Asians. Furthermore, a greater magnitude of positive association for the income-to-poverty line ratio with LE8 was seen for NHWA compared with non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic Asians. A greater magnitude of negative association was seen for Medicaid versus private insurance and for unemployment due to disability or health condition versus employment for NHWAs versus non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic Asians.

“The association of SES with LE8 was significant across racial and ethnic groups but had the greatest magnitude of association among NHWA,” the authors write. “The findings suggest that although eliminating inequities in SES is a critical component for cardiovascular disease primordial and primary prevention, in order to advance cardiovascular health equity, addressing additional social determinants of health may be necessary.”

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