Black women who are exposed to certain forms of racism may be more likely to develop heart disease, researchers say.
Specifically, Black women who have faced discrimination in employment, housing and in their interactions with the police were 26 percent more likely to develop heart disease than their counterparts who had not experienced such structural racism.
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Structural racism refers to the ways that a society fosters racial discrimination through housing, education, employment, health care and criminal justice systems.
The new study wasn’t designed to determine how perceived racism increases heart disease risk, but researchers have their theories. “Chronic psychosocial stressors such as racism increase levels of inflammation, blood pressure and other risks for heart disease,” says study author Shanshan Sheehy. She is an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.
For the study, the researchers tracked more than 48,000 women enrolled in the Black Women’s Health Study from 1997 to 2019. None had heart disease in 1997. During 22 years of follow-up, 1,947 women developed heart disease.
Women answered five questions in 1997 about their experiences related to racism in their everyday lives and three questions about structural racism in employment, housing, or their interactions with police.
Heart disease risk wasn’t tied to experiences of racism in everyday life, but women who reported experiencing racism in employment, housing, and in their interactions with police were at higher risk of heart disease compared with those women who answered no to all three questions on structural racism.
The new study adds to a growing body of research on how racism affects health, says Tené Lewis. She is an associate professor of epidemiology at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, in Atlanta.
“There are studies that show reports of discrimination are associated with early heart disease and
inflammatory markers, but studies linking racism to clinical endpoints have been few and far between until now,” according to Lewis.
“[Racism’s effect on health] matters, we know it matters, and here is the proof, so it’s time to take a larger and more collective action against racism,” she says.
The onus is on society. “Pushing these issues under the rug doesn’t help anyone. We need to acknowledge the complexity of our history around race and begin to think about what we can do to promote equality for everyone as a society,” Lewis said.
“We need to acknowledge that this is something that exists and that it’s OK not to be OK,” she adds.
Still, the study is observational and cannot prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
In the future, researchers plan to look at other types of racism and see how or if they affect heart health. “This may lead to new insights and advance our understanding of how racism impacts heart health,” Sheehy says.
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Many Black adults are already at higher risk of developing heart disease due to high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes, so it’s important that you do all that you can to improve your heart health. “Keeping blood pressure in the normal range, not smoking, leading a physically active life, and sleeping well are good for your heart,” Sheehy adds.
Racism causes stress, so taking steps to reduce stress may also have positive effects on your health. “Seek social support, practice mindfulness and get exercise,” Lewis suggests.
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