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Chronic stress is thought to contribute to racial disparities in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among women. Intervention development has been stalled by complex issues regarding stress measurement as well as the correlation of varying stress experiences with proximal cardiac responses in naturalistic environments. The Designing Young Adult Interventions to Address and Mitigate Inequities in Cardiovascular Health (DYNAMIC) Study is an observational study of the stress experiences of young Black women reported in vivo and within naturalistic context. The study will enroll up to 50 participants aged 18 to 39 years old. Participants will undergo a 14-day protocol, including completion of random surveys regarding stressor administered via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) while wearing a 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitoring patch and actigraph watch to capture a continuous feed of physiological responses. Participants will also measure and log wakening and bedtime blood pressure readings using a validated cuff. The study addresses ongoing challenges to validity in correlating stress to cardiovascular outcomes. The combination of EMA surveys and continuous physiological monitoring provides rich data regarding stress response, including frequency, duration, and attribution to specific stress stimuli. The primary outcomes of the study are heart rate variability and blood pressure. The secondary outcome of this study is ideal cardiovascular health-an index of measures predicting healthy cardiovascular aging. Findings from this study may be used to inform responsive, tailored interventions for young Black women towards the aims of primordial prevention and early intervention to promote cardiovascular health and reduce disparities.

Purpose Breast cancer survivors are at increased risk of cardiovascular dysfunction following their diagnosis; however, hypertension remains underexplored within this context. This retrospective cohort study examined the incidence of hypertension in breast cancer survivors and the association of race with hypertension risk among them. Methods Data for this study were ed from the electronic health records of women diagnosed with Stages I–III breast cancer. Incident hypertension diagnosis was identified through International Classification of Diseases codes. Bivariate associations were tested using Student's t‐test and chi‐squared test of independence. Bivariable Cox regression analysis was used to determine demographic and clinical factors that may have been associated with the development of hypertension. Results A total of 664 women were included. Most women were 50 years of age or younger (52.0%), White (33.0% Black), and received a mastectomy (80.6%). Overall, 45.5% of the cohort developed hypertension. The 1‐year hypertension‐free survival estimates were 47% (95% confidence interval [CI], 41–54) in Black women and 73% (95% CI, 69–77) in White women (p < 0.0001). Besides race, statistically significant predictors of hypertension included: age greater than 50 (vs. ≤50) (adjusted Hazard Ratio [HR]: 1.40; 95% CI, 1.09–1.80) and residing in a non‐metropolitan area (vs. metropolitan) (adjusted HR: 1.60; 95% CI, 1.19–2.16). Conclusions This study suggests that breast cancer survivors who are older, Black, or residing in non‐metropolitan areas may benefit from added surveillance and hypertension prevention strategies during treatment. Future studies are needed to identify contributors to the observed racial and geographic disparities.

Purpose of Review Cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) are leading causes of death and disproportionally impact historically marginalized racial/ethnic groups in the United States. The American Heart Association developed the Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) to promote optimal cardiovascular health (CVH) through eight health behaviors and health factors. The purpose of this review is to summarize contemporary community-engaged research (CER) studies incorporating the LE8 framework among racial/ethnic groups. Review of Findings Limited studies focused on the interface of CER and LE8. Based on synthesis of articles in this review, the application of CER to individual/collective LE8 metrics may improve CVH and reduce CMDs at the population level. Effective strategies include integration of technology, group activities, cultural/faith-based practices, social support, and structural/environmental changes. Summary CER studies addressing LE8 factors in racial/ethnic groups play an essential role in improving CVH. Future studies should focus on broader scalability and health policy interventions to advance health equity.

Introduction Chronic stress is a potential root cause of racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease. This review assesses literature surrounding effective stressreduction interventions to reduce hypertension (HTN)—a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor—among an understudied population, non-Hispanic black (NHB) women. Methods We conducted an electronic search of PubMed and PsycINFO literature published between January 1, 2000 and February 1, 2020, employing the keywords: “blood pressure”, “hypertension”, and “women”, “black”, “African-American”, “stress”, “meditation”, “stress-coping”, “stress-management”, and “faith-based”. We manually searched the bibliographies for additional articles. Studies were excluded if they: were published before 2000; were not intervention-based; did not study Black women in the US; did not target stress reduction; or did not measure blood pressure as an outcome. Independent reviewers screened the articles, which were selected based on consensus. Effect sizes and statistical p values were reported as provided in the included articles. Results We identified 109 articles in total. Of those, six articles met inclusion criteria. Stronger evidence presented by a randomized control trial supported the efficacy of transcendental meditation with reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure up to 7 mmHg. Relaxation exercises, support groups, and therapeutic massage emerged as potentially beneficial in non-randomized pilot trials with reductions in systolic BP up to 9 mmHg and diastolic BP up to 5 mmHg varying by type and duration of the intervention. Conclusions This scoping review found that faith-based strategies and meditation can be effective stress reduction techniques to reduce BP among NHB women. However, much remains to be known about how these strategies may be leveraged to reduce blood pressure within this highly vulnerable population.

Importance Chronic stress has been posited to contribute to racial disparities in cardiovascular health. Investigation of whether neighborhood- and individual-level stressors mediate this disparity is needed. Objective To examine whether racial differences in ideal cardiovascular health (ICH) are attenuated by experiences with neighborhood- and individual-level stressors within a racially and geographically diverse population sample. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study examined data from 7720 participants in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study who completed the second in-home visit (2013-2016). The REGARDS study is a population-based, longitudinal study of 30 239 non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White adults aged 45 years or older at baseline (2003-2007). Data for the present study were analyzed from June to July 2021 and in March 2022. Exposures Neighborhood physical environment (eg, excessive noise, violence; scored from 7-28, with higher scores indicating more problems), neighborhood safety (scored as very safe, safe, or not safe), neighborhood social cohesion (eg, shared values; scored from 5-25, with higher scores indicating higher cohesion), perceived stress (eg, coping; scored from 0-16, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress), and the experience of discrimination (yes or no). Main Outcomes and Measures Ideal cardiovascular health (ICH), measured as a composite of 4 health behaviors (cigarette smoking, diet, physical activity, body mass index) and 3 health factors (blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels). Results The sample included 7720 participants (mean [SD] age, 71.9 [8.3] years; 4390 women [56.9%]; 2074 Black participants [26.9%]; and 5646 White participants [73.1%]). Black participants compared with White participants reported higher perceived stress (mean [SD] score, 3.2 [2.8] vs 2.8 [2.7]) and more often reported discrimination (77.0% vs 24.0%). Black participants also reported poorer neighborhood physical environment (mean [SD] score, 11.2 [3.8] vs 9.8 [2.9]) and social cohesion (mean [SD] score, 15.5 [2.0] vs 15.7 [1.9]) and more often reported their neighborhoods were unsafe (54.7% vs 24.3%). The odds of having a high total ICH score (ie, closer to ideal) were lower for Black adults compared with White adults, both overall (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.53; 95% CI, 0.45-0.61) and by gender (men: AOR, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.57-0.93]; women: AOR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.37-0.54]). In mediation analyses, the racial disparity in total ICH score was attenuated by neighborhood physical environment (5.14%), neighborhood safety (6.27%), neighborhood social cohesion (1.41%), and discrimination (11.01%). In stratified analyses, the factors that most attenuated the racial disparity in total ICH scores were neighborhood safety among men (12.32%) and discrimination among women (14.37%). Perceived stress did not attenuate the racial disparity in total ICH scores. Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional study of Black and White US adults aged 45 years and older, neighborhood-level factors, including safety and physical and social environments, and individual-level factors, including discrimination, attenuated racial disparities in cardiovascular health. Interventional approaches to improve ICH that separately target neighborhood context and discrimination by gender and race are warranted.

Background Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) emerging adult (EA) women are at disproportionate risk for obesity but experience limited benefit from behavioral weight loss (BWL) programs. Race-related stress could play a role; the goal of this study was to examine the association between racial discrimination (RD) and early (3 months) changes in adiposity, and to explore potential protective factors, among EA in an adapted BWL program. Methods This is an ancillary study of non-Hispanic White (NHW) and NHB EA women enrolled in an adapted BWL trial ( N = 49; 55.1% NHB; Age 21.2 (2.1); BMI = 33.0 + 4.3 kg/m 2 ). At baseline, group- and personal-level RD (RD-group and RD-personal), racial identity (NHB women only), vigilant coping, and social support were assessed via validated questionnaires. Weight and waist circumference were measured objectively at 0 and 3 months. Results NHW women manifested greater reductions in waist circumference relative to NHB women ( p = .004). RD-personal did not predict change in waist circumference at 3 months ( p = .402); however, the association between RD-group and change in waist circumference was statistically significant ( p = .015), such that reporting greater group-level discrimination predicted a smaller decrease in waist circumference; the model explained 22% of the variance. Social support and vigilant coping were not statistically significant in the model. Among NHB women only, higher racial identity-centrality predicted greater reduction in waist circumference ( p = .019). Conclusion Findings suggest racial discrimination could contribute to greater cardiometabolic risk during this developmental period. Future research should examine how experiences of racial discrimination unfold in the daily lives of NHB women to inform mechanistic interventions to enhance health and well-being. Trial Registration NCT02736981. Low Intensity Weight Loss for Young Adults

We examined the association of civil unrest with potentially stress-related outcomes among two low-income, African American communities in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody and whether neighborhood proximity to unrest moderated these associations. We leveraged data from a cross-sectional survey of randomly selected households in two public housing communities (n=342) collected before, during, and after the civil unrest (August 2014 to August 2015). We used multivariate regression to explore the association of unrest with depressive symptoms and elevated blood pressure adjusting for potential confounders and community attributes. After the 2015 civil unrest event in Baltimore, those living in a low-income community near the epicenter demonstrated higher rates of depressive symptoms, but not elevated blood pressure, compared with those living in a comparable neighborhood three miles away. Low-income communities in Baltimore could benefit from mental health services after periods of civil unrest.

Patients with limited English proficiency have known limitations accessing health care, but differences in hospital outcomes once access is obtained are unknown. We investigate inpatient mortality rates and obstetric trauma for self-reported speakers of English, Spanish, and languages of Asia and the Pacific Islands (API) and compare quality of care by language with patterns by race/ethnicity. Data were from the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, 2009 State Inpatient Databases for California. There were 3,757,218 records. Speaking a non-English principal language and having a non-White race/ethnicity did not place patients at higher risk for inpatient mortality; the exception was significantly higher stroke mortality for Japanese-speaking patients. Patients who spoke API languages or had API race/ethnicity had higher risk for obstetric trauma than English-speaking White patients. Spanish-speaking Hispanic patients had more obstetric trauma than English-speaking Hispanic patients. The influence of language on obstetric trauma and the potential effects of interpretation services on inpatient care are discussed. The broader context of policy implications for collection and reporting of language data is also presented. Results from other countries with and without English as a primary language are needed for the broadest interpretation and generalization of outcomes.

Background: Uncontrolled hypertension is a significant risk factor for cardiovascu­lar morbidity and mortality. In the United States, many patients remain uncontrolled, in part, due to poor medication adherence. Efforts to improve hypertension control include not only attending to medical management of the disease but also the social determinants of health, which impact medication adherence, and ultimately blood pressure control.Purpose: To determine which social deter­minants – health care access or community and social stressors - explain medication adherence.Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis, we used baseline data (N=1820, col­lected August 2017 to October 2019) from a pragmatic trial, which compares the effectiveness of a multi-level intervention including collaborative care and a stepped approach with enhanced standard of care for improving blood pressure. We used logistic regression analyses to examine the association between patient experiences of care and community and social stressors with medication adherence.Results: The participants represented a diverse sample: mean age of 60 years; 59% female; 57.3% Black, 9.6% Hispanic, and 33.2% White. All participants had a blood pressure reading ≥140/90 mm Hg (mean blood pressure – 152/85 mm Hg). Half of the participants reported some level of non-adherence to medication. Regression analy­sis showed that, compared with Whites, Blacks (AOR .47; 95% CIs: .37-.60, P<.001) and Hispanics (AOR .48; 95% CIs: .32- .73, P<.001) were less likely to report medica­tion adherence. Also part-time workers (AOR .57; 95% CIs: .38-.86, P<.05), and those who reported greater perceived stress (AOR .94; 95% CIs: .91 – .98, P<.001) and everyday discrimination (AOR .73; 95% CIs: .59 – .89; P<.001) had lower odds of medication adherence. Among Blacks, greater perceived stress (AOR .93; 95% CIs: .88-.98, P<.001) and everyday discrimina­tion (AOR .63; 95% CIs: .49 - .82, P<.005) were negatively associated with medication adherence. Among Hispanics, greater report of everyday discrimination (AOR .36; 95% CIs: .14 – .89, P<.005) was associated with lower odds of medication adherence. Among Whites, the negative effect of per­ceived stress on medication adherence was attenuated by emotional support.Conclusions: Using the social determinants of health framework, we identified associa­tions between stress, everyday discrimina­tion and medication adherence among non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics that were independent of health status and other social determinants. Programs to enhance self-management for African American and Hispanic patients with uncontrolled blood pressure should include a specific focus on addressing social stressors.Ethn Dis. 2021;31(1):97-108; doi:10.18865/ ed.31.1.97