Recently, I heard about a study that provides scientific proof that discrimination contributes to high blood pressure in African Americans. The research study was conducted at the University of Florida and focused specifically on African Americans in Tallahassee, Florida. The article stated that previous studies examined how environmental factors and genetic factors separately affect blood pressure across various identity groups. However, this study examined these factors concurrently and looked at how exposure to sociocultural factors, such as discrimination, can contribute to why hypertension affects more African Americans than any other race in the United States (Quinlan et. al, 2016).
While this study focused on a specific geographical location, I'm going to make the assumption that similar results could be found throughout the country. It's so bizarre to me that African Americans have the highest percentage of hypertension than any other racial group in this country.
This research study had my mind racing non-stop (mind you it was already going 1922 miles per hour). Over the past few months, I’ve read endless articles and have had dozens of conversations about how the turmoil in this country can affect our mental and emotional well-being. The hateful speech and division across the nation is causing trauma in ourselves, our families and our communities. It is critical that we all be intentional with self-care, especially since there is evidence that discriminatory actions can affect our physical health. As the article stated, there are several factors that contribute to hypertension. However, we can no longer ignore how discrimination affects us physically. This study was such an eye opener for me to become even more intentional with how I internalize, cope, and heal from the daily challenges that are directed way simply because I am a Black women.
P.S. - Yes, there are other obstacles I face that are not correlated with my racial and gender identity but that’s not the topic.
This research study had my mind racing non-stop (mind you it was already going 1922 miles per hour). Over the past few months, I’ve read endless articles and have had dozens of conversations about how the turmoil in this country can affect our mental and emotional well-being. The hateful speech and division across the nation is causing trauma in ourselves, our families and our communities. It is critical that we all be intentional with self-care, especially since there is evidence that discriminatory actions can affect our physical health. As the article stated, there are several factors that contribute to hypertension. However, we can no longer ignore how discrimination affects us physically. This study was such an eye opener for me to become even more intentional with how I internalize, cope, and heal from the daily challenges that are directed way simply because I am a Black women.
P.S. - Yes, there are other obstacles I face that are not correlated with my racial and gender identity but that’s not the topic.
The research article was published in PLOS One and can be found here.
References
Quinlan J, Pearson LN, Clukay CJ, Mitchell MM, Boston Q, Gravlee CC, et al. (2016) Genetic Loci and Novel Discrimination Measures Associated with Blood Pressure Variation in African Americans Living in Tallahassee. PLoS ONE 11(12): e0167700. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0167700
References
Quinlan J, Pearson LN, Clukay CJ, Mitchell MM, Boston Q, Gravlee CC, et al. (2016) Genetic Loci and Novel Discrimination Measures Associated with Blood Pressure Variation in African Americans Living in Tallahassee. PLoS ONE 11(12): e0167700. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0167700
Tiffany is a higher education professional in institutional effectiveness, research, assessment, and planning.
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