African American Women at Greater Risk for High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, a life-threatening condition which may lead to heart attack, kidney disease or stroke, is a major risk factor for all people, but African Americans are at particularly high risk.

High blood pressure in African Americans in the USA is the highest in the world and black women have higher prevalence rates of high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity and diabetes than white women.

According to a recent research by C-HIT, the non-profit Connecticut Health Investigative Team, nearly one out of every two African American women living in Connecticut suffers from high blood pressure.

The more frequent prevalence of high blood pressure among black women has genetic, socioeconomic and cultural reasons.

Genetics

Although genetics put African Americans at greater risk for hypertension, research shows that genetic variations account for only about 20 percent of hypertension and environmental factors are superior when considering the reasons for high blood pressure.

Socioeconomic Factors

People who do not have sufficient nutrition during pregnancy tend to give birth to lower weight babies with stunted kidneys, which can lead to hypertension as they get older.

Cultural Factors

Obesity is one of the major risk factors for hypertension. Four out of five African American women are overweight or obese nationwide, partly because of the fact that black culture does not always celebrate thin women.

Stress is also a risk factor for high blood pressure. African American women are often prioritize their children and family over their own health and sadly, racism and discrimination are still alive and doing well.

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