A COMPARISON OF CARDIOVASCULAR REACTIVITY OF RURAL BLACKS, URBAN BLACKS AND WHITES

Urbanization is a worldwide phenomenon and is most often accompanied by an increased prevalence of western-type diseases like hypertension. The higher cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) of black people compared to white people during passive coping stressors has often been linked to their greater vulnerability to hypertension. Blacks, however, display a lower CVR than whites during active coping stressors. In this study it was found that urban blacks show a higher CVR than whites during a passive coping stressor and a lower CVR than whites during an active coping stressor, However, rural blacks consistently show much higher CVR than either whites or urban blacks during both active and passive coping stressors. It seems that CVR is not only a function of the type of stressor applied but can be altered significantly by environmental factors like those experienced during urbanization.