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WHERE YOU LIVE MATTERS: UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH STUDY SHOWS NEIGHBORHOOD RELATED TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE | |
| Contact: Karen L. Petersen, MS Phone: 412-624-4872 Email: kap26@pitt.edu Embargoed until: March 4, 2004 |
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Orlando, FL - "Location, location, location" - you've heard it a million times, and now it seems there is yet another reason to attend to the old real estate adage. Not only can location determine the future value of your home, the quality of your children's' schools, and proximity to a myriad of conveniences, but it may also affect your cardiovascular health! A recent study conducted by Karen Petersen, predoctoral fellow, and Dr. Stephen Manuck, together with colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh, shows that neighborhood quality is related to early signs of cardiovascular disease. Results of the study were presented at the American Psychosomatic Society Annual Meeting, held in Orlando on March 3-6. Previous studies have shown that the quality of one's neighborhood is related to the incidence of coronary events, including heart attacks. The current study was designed to determine if an early sign of cardiovascular disease - the build-up of plaque in the main artery leading to the brain -- is similarly related to neighborhood quality. Two hundred and thirty African-American and Caucasian men between the ages of 40 and 70 who had high blood pressure but no history of heart attack, stroke, or chest pain participated in the study. They received a traditional risk factor screening as well as an ultrasound, which determines the extent of plaque build-up (atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis can be present for decades before a person experiences signs or symptoms that something could be wrong. Information was obtained from the U.S. Census on such factors as income, economic disadvantage (e.g. poverty, unemployment), housing costs, and levels of educational attainment in the residential areas of Pittsburgh, where each participant lived. The results of the study showed that men living in worse-off neighborhoods were more likely to exhibit signs of cardiovascular disease than men in better neighborhoods. This association remained true even after controlling statistically for any contribution of the participant's own level of income and education, as well as traditional heart disease risk factors like age, smoking, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Results did not vary by race; African-American and Caucasian men were equally likely to display atherosclerosis in this study. "The results suggest that characteristics of one's neighborhood may contribute to the insidious atherosclerotic disease process," Petersen said. Interestingly, it appears that the relationship is not limited only to the lowest quality neighborhoods, but that with each jump in neighborhood quality, the percentage of people displaying signs of atherosclerotic disease decreases. The researchers conclude that living in a less affluent community renders men vulnerable to the early stages of cardiovascular disease, whereas living in wealthier communities may benefit men's cardiovascular health. This research supported by a grant to Dr. Manuck by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. | |
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Psychosomatic Medicine is the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Psychosomatic Society, published bimonthly. For information about the journal, contact Vicki White, Managing Editor for Manuscript Production,
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