Further understanding the role of perceived discrimination in the etiology of hypertension may be beneficial in eliminating hypertension disparities.

Food insecurity is defined as "a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food." While, levels of food insecurity in the United States have fluctuated over the past 20 years; disparities in food insecurity rates between people of color and whites have continued to persist. There is growing recognition that discrimination and structural racism are key contributors to disparities in health behaviors and outcomes. Although several promising practices to reduce food insecurity have emerged, approaches that address structural racism and discrimination may have important implications for alleviating racial/ethnic disparities in food insecurity and promoting health equity overall.

Kidney disease is one of the most striking examples of health disparities in American public health. Disparities in the prevalence and progression of kidney disease are generally thought to be a function of group differences in the prevalence of kidney disease risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. However, the presence of these comorbidities does not completely explain the elevated rate of progression from chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end-stage renal disease among high-risk populations such as African Americans. We believe that the social environment is an important element in the pathway from CKD risk factors to CKD and end-stage renal disease. This review of the literature draws heavily from social science and social epidemiology to present a conceptual frame specifying how social, economic, and psychosocial factors interact to affect the risks for and the progression of kidney disease.

Background Using Jackson Heart Study data, we examined associations of multiple measures of perceived discrimination with health behaviors among African Americans (AA). Methods The cross-sectional associations of everyday, lifetime, and burden of discrimination with odds of smoking and mean differences in physical activity, dietary fat, and sleep were examined among 4,939 35–84 year old participants after adjustment for age and socioeconomic status (SES). Results Men reported slightly higher levels of everyday and lifetime discrimination than women and similar levels of burden of discrimination as women. After adjustment for age and SES, everyday discrimination was associated with more smoking and a greater percentage of dietary fat in men and women (OR for smoking: 1.13, 95%CI 1.00,1.28 and 1.19, 95%CI 1.05,1.34; mean difference in dietary fat: 0.37, p<.05 and 0.43, p<.01, in men and women, respectively). Everyday and lifetime discrimination were associated with fewer hours of sleep in men and women (mean difference for everyday discrimination: −0.08, p<.05 and −0.18, p<.001, respectively; and mean difference for lifetime discrimination: −0.08, p<.05, and −0.24, p<.001, respectively). Burden of discrimination was associated with more smoking and fewer hours of sleep in women only. Conclusions Higher levels of perceived discrimination were associated with select health behaviors among men and women. Health behaviors offer a potential mechanism through which perceived discrimination affects health in AA.

This study addressed intergroup differences in how often U.S. families socialized young children to their ethnic/racial heritage using nationally representative survey data gathered as part of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K).The sample ( N = 18,827) included young White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, American Indian, and multiracial children. Among other things, the authors found that families raising young American Indian children were likely to socialize them frequently to their ethnic/racial heritage. Also, most intergroup differences in frequency of ethnic/racial socialization were robust across child gender and parental education.

Background Socioeconomic status (SES) is recognized as a key social environmental factor because it has implications for access to resources that help individuals care for themselves and others. Few studies have examined the association of SES with CKD in high-risk populations. Study Design Single-site longitudinal population-based cohort Setting and Participants The data for this study were drawn from the baseline examination of the Jackson Heart Study. The analytic cohort consisted of 3,430 African American men and women living in the tri-county area of the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan areas with complete data to determine CKD status. Predictor High SES (defined as having a family income at least 3.5 times the poverty level or having at least one undergraduate degree) Outcomes and Measurements CKD (defined as the presence of albuminuria or reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73m2). Associations were explored through bivariable analyses and multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusting for CKD and cardiovascular disease risk factors as well as demographic factors. Results The prevalence of CKD in the Jackson Heart Study was 20% (865/3430 participants). The proportion of the Jackson Heart Study cohort with albuminuria and decreased eGFR was 12.5% (429/3430 participants) and 10.1% (347/3430 participants) respectively. High SES was inversely associated with CKD. The odds of having CKD were 41% lower for affluent participants than their less affluent counterparts. There were no statistically significant interactions between sex and education or income although subgroup analysis showed that high income was associated with CKD among male (OR 0.47, CI 0.23–0.97) but not female (OR 0.64, CI 0.40–1.03) participants. Limitations Models were estimated using cross-sectional data. Conclusion CKD is associated with SES. Additional research is needed to elucidate the impact of wealth and social contexts in which individuals are embedded, and the mediating effects of sociocultural factors.

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Depression is common in end-stage renal disease and is associated with poor quality of life and higher mortality; however, little is known about depressive affect in earlier stages of chronic kidney disease. To measure this in a risk group burdened with hypertension and kidney disease, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of individuals at enrollment in the African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension Cohort Study. Depressive affect was assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory II and quality of life by the Medical Outcomes Study-Short Form and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Beck Depression scores over 14 were deemed consistent with an increased depressive affect and linear regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with these scores. Among 628 subjects, 166 had scores over 14 but only 34 were prescribed antidepressants. The mean Beck Depression score of 11.0 varied with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from 10.7 (eGFR 50–60) to 16.0 (eGFR stage 5); however, there was no significant independent association between these. Unemployment, low income, and lower quality and satisfaction with life scale scores were independently and significantly associated with a higher Beck Depression score. Thus, our study shows that an increased depressive affect is highly prevalent in African Americans with chronic kidney disease, is infrequently treated with antidepressants, and is associated with poorer quality of life. Sociodemographic factors have especially strong associations with this increased depressive affect. Because this study was conducted in an African-American cohort, its findings may not be generalized to other ethnic groups.