Perceived Discrimination and Hypertension Among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study

Objectives. Using Jackson Heart Study data, we examined whether perceived discrimination was associated with prevalent hypertension in African Americans. Methods. Everyday discrimination, lifetime discrimination, burden of discrimination, and stress from discrimination were examined among 4939 participants aged 35 to 84 years (women = 3123; men = 1816). We estimated prevalence ratios of hypertension by discrimination, and adjusted for age, gender, socioeconomic status, and risk factors. Results. The prevalence of hypertension was 64.0% in women and 59.7% in men. After adjustment for age, gender, and socioeconomic status, lifetime discrimination and burden of discrimination were associated with greater hypertension prevalence (prevalence ratios for highest vs lowest quartile were 1.08 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02, 1.15] and 1.09 [95% CI = 1.02,1.16] for lifetime discrimination and burden of discrimination, respectively). Associations were slightly weakened after adjustment for body mass index and behavioral factors. No associations were observed for everyday discrimination. Conclusions. Further understanding the role of perceived discrimination in the etiology of hypertension may be beneficial in eliminating hypertension disparities. (Am J Public Health. 2012;102:S258-S265. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300523)