Indeed, socioeconomic status (SES) can be an unreliable predictor of heart health. While socioeconomic status might influence an individual’s access to resources, healthcare, and lifestyle choices, it is only one of several factors that influence heart health. People with higher socioeconomic status often have better access to healthcare services, such as routine check-ups, preventive measures, and timely treatment for heart issues. Individuals with a higher socioeconomic standing may benefit from better heart health outcomes as a result of this.
SES can have an impact on lifestyle decisions such as nutrition, physical exercise, and tobacco and alcohol usage. Individuals with a higher socioeconomic status are more likely to be able to afford healthier diets, gym memberships, and recreational possibilities, all of which can contribute to better heart health.
The benefits of four socioeconomic status variables (education, income, employment status, and health insurance) on optimal heart health were stronger for non-Hispanic white individuals in the United States than for Black, Hispanic, and Asian persons.
Improvements in socioeconomic status (education, income, employment status, and health insurance) on ideal cardiovascular health may not benefit all racial or ethnic groups equally, as white adults in the United States were more likely to benefit than Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the American Heart Association’s open access, peer-reviewed journal.
The goal of economic interventions and societal policies, such as improving employment, health care access, and education, is that they will lead to improvements in health for everyone. However, our study found that improvements in these socioeconomic interventions may not benefit people in all racial or ethnic groups equally.
Joshua J. Joseph
“The goal of economic interventions and societal policies, such as improving employment, health care access, and education, is that they will lead to improvements in health for everyone,” explained senior study author Joshua J. Joseph, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, an associate professor of internal medicine at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus. “However, our study found that improvements in these socioeconomic interventions may not benefit people in all racial or ethnic groups equally.”
Additional factors, such as psychosocial stress experienced by persons in different groups as a result of racism, medical mistrust, and/or unequal access to care, according to the researchers, may also contribute to cardiovascular health disparities.
Using the diverse, nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2011-2018) data for approximately 13,500 adults, this study assessed socioeconomic status with the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 metrics of ideal heart health across racial and ethnic groups in the United States.
The analysis found that across all participants, higher socioeconomic status was linked with better heart health, as indicated by higher average Life’s Essential 8 scores, which has a 0-100 scale. However, this link was greatest among white adults compared to people in other racial and ethnic groups. For example:
- College education was associated with a 15-point increase in ideal heart health score among white adults, compared to about a 10-point increase in ideal health scores for Black and Hispanic adults and about an 8-point increase among Asian adults.
- Medicaid versus private health insurance was associated with a 13-point decline in Life Essential’s 8 scores among white adults, compared to a 5- to 6-point decline for people in other racial and ethnic groups.
The study had various drawbacks, one of which was that it could not confirm a link between socioeconomic position and Life’s Essential 8 score. It also did not include information about the potential effects of wealth or racism over time; the data was self-reported; and the study did not distinguish between place of birth or immigration status.
