EFFECT OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ON ADULT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS

Abstract

In recent years, the role of socioeconomic inequities in influencing diseases and health conditions has become an important issue in health and socioeconomic policy development. It is not surprising that cardiovascular disease, the single largest cause of deaths in the United States might be explained by the socioeconomic status of an individual. Using multivariate regression analyses of data from the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, this study examines the relationship between socioeconomic status (as measured by education and family income to poverty ratio) and the levels of the two cardiovascular disease risk factors, blood pressure and "good cholesterol" or High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)-Cholesterol. The relationship between education and cardiovascular disease risk factors was statistically significant; specifically; lower levels of education were associated with higher levels of blood pressure and with not having higher levels of HDL-Cholesterol. The family income to poverty ratio was not found to be statistically significant for either cardiovascular disease risk factor. The results from this study suggest that education is a useful tool to design public health policies and establish preventive and intervention programs to reduce the risk of CVD among population.