Abstract P252: Financial Strain and Cardiovascular Health Among Young Black Women: Findings From a Community Survey

Background: Black women experience disproportionate rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including earlier onset, increased number of risk factors, and higher morbidity rates. Higher levels of stress may help to explain this disparity. We sought to examine the relationship between financial strain—a common stressor—and cardiovascular health in a sample of young, Black women. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data collected through an academic-community collaboration with the AME Zion Church. In 2019, an electronic survey was administered to self-identified Black women aged 18 to 40 years. The survey assessed psychosocial stressors, psychological distress, healthcare utilization, and health status. We examined the association of financial strain—defined as difficulty in paying for necessities—and cardiovascular health (CVH) modeled after the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Essential 8”. The eight domains were defined by four behavioral health factors (sleep, diet, physical activity, and smoking) and four self-reported health conditions (overweight/obesity, prediabetes/diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol). Each component earned 1 point for positive attributes (e.g., adequate sleep) or 0 for negative attributes (e.g., having high blood pressure). Components were summed to a total score (range: 0-8). We used multivariable regression to examine the relationship between financial strain and CVH score adjusting for other sociodemographic factors. Results: This study included 160 Black women with a mean age of 32.36 (SD = 5.68). Nearly half the sample (46%) held graduate or professional degrees, and 28% of respondents earned an income ≥$100,000. The mean score on the 8-point CVH measurement was 5.45 (SD=1.44). Adjusting for age, education, and income, experiencing some financial strain was associated with poorer CVH than little to no financial strain (β = -0.72, p=.006). Age was marginally associated with decreasing CVH (β=-.040, p=0.05). Evaluating individual CVH components, those with some degree of financial strain had higher odds of being sedentary (OR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.04, 5.04) and getting insufficient sleep (OR: 2.66; 95% CI: 1.17, 6.05) than those with little to no strain. There were no significant associations between financial strain and diet or the health status measures (i.e., overweight/obesity, prediabetes/diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol). Smoking could not be evaluated separately due to low numbers of smokers within the sample. Conclusion: Adjusting for age, education, and income, financial strain was negatively associated with overall CVH, and physical activity and sleep, specifically, within this sample of young, Black women. Interventions targeting financial strain may positively affect preventative CVH behaviors within this population.