O-95 Associations between neighbourhood socioeconomic status and cardiovascular diseases in adults forty years and older in urban Jamaica

Methods: We conducted secondary analysis of data from the Cardiovascular Health in Urban Communities (CHUC) study. Participants resided in urban communities in four south-eastern parishes. Neighbourhood SES was assessed using two variables (i) community-level property values and (ii) community-level poverty, both obtained from government agencies and then categorized into tertiles. CVD was defined as self-reported doctor-diagnosed heart disease, stroke or heart attack. Covariates assessed included diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity. Pearson’s chi-squared tests were used to assess bivariate associations and logistic regression used for multivariable models. Analyses were weighted for survey sampling design.

Results: Analyses included 480 participants (336 females; 144 males) with mean (SD) age 59.2 (12.0) years. Overall prevalence of CVD was 8.3% with no sex difference, but varied with age (p=0.013), with highest prevalence among persons 65–74 years (23.9%). In univariate models, CVD prevalence was lowest in those with mid-range community property values (OR 0.30, p=0.009) and highest in those in the worst poverty tertile (OR 2.57, p=0.011). In multivariable models, men in the worst poverty tertile had significantly higher odds of CVD (OR 6.95, (95% CI 1.48–32.68) after adjusting for age, sex interaction, hypertension, education and occupation. Associations with property value and CVD were not statistically significant in adjusted models. Hypertension was also associated with higher odds of CVD, while higher educational attainment was associated with lower odds of CVD.

Conclusion: Men living in poorer communities had higher odds of CVD, while hypertension increased and higher education lowered CVD odds. Further research should explore the drivers of community mediated Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) risks.