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Disentangling Race and Social Context in Understanding Disparities in Chronic Conditions among Men

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Abstract

Disparities in men’s health research may inaccurately attribute differences in chronic conditions to race rather than the different health risk exposures in which men live. This study sought to determine whether living in the same social environment attenuates race disparities in chronic conditions among men. This study compared survey data collected in 2003 from black and white men with similar incomes living in a racially integrated neighborhood of Baltimore to data from the 2003 National Health Interview Survey. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated to determine whether race disparities in chronic conditions were attenuated among men living in the same social environment. In the national sample, black men exhibited greater odds of having hypertension (odds ratio [OR] = 1.58, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.34, 1.86) and diabetes (OR = 1.62, 95 % CI 1.27–2.08) than white men. In the sample of men living in the same social context, black and white respondents had similar odds of having hypertension (OR = 1.05, 95 % CI 0.70, 1.59) and diabetes (OR = 1.12, 95 % CI 0.57–2.22). There are no race disparities in chronic conditions among low-income, urban men living in the same social environment. Policies and interventions aiming to reduce disparities in chronic conditions should focus on modifying social aspects of the environment.

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Acknowledgments

Research conducted by the first author was supported by a grant from the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities (P60MD000214), and a grant from Pfizer, Inc.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program for Research on Men’s Health, Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Roland J. Thorpe Jr., Caryn N. Bell, Jelani Harvey, Jenny R. Smolen, Janice V. Bowie & Thomas A. LaVeist

  2. Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Roland J. Thorpe Jr., Caryn N. Bell & Janice V. Bowie

  3. Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Alene Kennedy-Hendricks & Thomas A. LaVeist

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  1. Roland J. Thorpe Jr.
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  2. Caryn N. Bell
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  3. Alene Kennedy-Hendricks
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  4. Jelani Harvey
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  5. Jenny R. Smolen
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  6. Janice V. Bowie
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  7. Thomas A. LaVeist
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Correspondence to Roland J. Thorpe Jr..

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Thorpe, R.J., Bell, C.N., Kennedy-Hendricks, A. et al. Disentangling Race and Social Context in Understanding Disparities in Chronic Conditions among Men. J Urban Health 92, 83–92 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-014-9900-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-014-9900-9

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