Researchers have found lasting racial disparities in hypertension risk among Black women after pregnancy. These risks persist even when accounting for social drivers of health and traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Meanwhile, a separate study in rural South Africa shows hypertension prevalence rose among a cohort of rural Black adults, driven largely by metabolic health and age.
Black Women Face Higher Post-Pregnancy Risk
Black women develop hypertension approximately six years earlier in life than White women. This finding comes from the CARDIA cohort study, which has tracked participants since 1985.
Parous Black women face a hazard ratio of 2.72 for hypertension post-adjustment. They have a higher risk of developing the condition after their first pregnancy compared to White women.
The disparity remains substantial. It persists even when adjusting for physical activity levels and both individual and structural social drivers of health.
Individual and structural factors play a role. However, they do not fully account for the gap. This implies that unmeasured contextual or structural influences continue to shape cardiovascular risk.
Hypertension Rates Rise in Limpopo Province
Hypertension prevalence rose to 46.9% by the 2019–2022 follow-up period in South Africa’s Limpopo Province. This follows a baseline prevalence of 43.8% recorded between 2014 and 2016.
- Age: Individuals aged 64 years or older showed a higher likelihood of hypertension.
- Central Obesity: Consistently associated with increased risk at both baseline and follow-up.
- Diabetes: A strong, persistent factor linked to hypertension in the cohort.
The findings reflect trends within a high-risk survivor sub-cohort. Participants who remained in the study were more likely to have higher rates of diabetes and obesity than those lost to follow-up.
Social Factors Influence Blood Pressure
The CARDIA study examined the physical activity environment and neighborhood cohesion as structural-level social drivers of health (SDoH).
These results align with National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2001–2018) data. That national data shows Black women maintained higher odds of uncontrolled blood pressure after adjusting for SDoH, behaviors, and health factors.