Younger Black Women Developing High Blood Pressure

New research finds a link between stress from caregiving and younger Black women developing hypertension.

A recent analysis published in the American Heart Association Journal Hypertension reveals that the stress of caregiving is linked to a higher risk of developing hypertension among Black women aged 21 to 44. The study, which followed participants for an average of 7.4 years, found that 43.5% of all participants developed hypertension.

The research team, led by experts at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, also found that 51.7% of participants reporting moderate or high caregiving stress developed hypertension, compared to 40.6% of those with low or no caregiving stress. Previous studies have linked caregiving to high blood pressure in middle-aged and older Black women, but this relationship has been less explored in the younger demographic.

“Our analysis suggests that caregiver strain as a source of chronic stress may significantly contribute to the development of hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, among reproductive-age Black women,” corresponding study author Milla Arabadjian, “Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Foundations of Medicine at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine said, in a press release.

The study’s findings are particularly timely, following a recent advisory from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, which highlighted that parents and caregivers have faced significantly higher levels of stress and mental health challenges over the past decade compared to non-caregivers. Authors of the study note that caregiving is a source of chronic stress, with women, who make up the majority of informal caregivers, being especially impacted.

Black women have been shown to have a higher prevalence of hypertension compared to women from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. In younger Black women with hypertension, rates of uncontrolled blood pressure are high. Identifying “addressable” risk factors, such as caregiving stress, is crucial for developing targeted prevention strategies for this group, the study authors note.

“Given the high lifetime risk of CVD especially among reproductive-age Black women, we need to better identify the root causes contributing to the strain,” said senior study author Tanya M. Spruill, PhD, associate professor in the departments of Population Health and Medicine at NYU Langone Health.

“If a lack of affordable childcare is a source, then linkage to childcare resources could be one solution. If the source of strain is a communication challenge with a child or elderly relative, education might be tailored to help with that,” added Dr. Spruill, who co-leads the Jackson Heart Study Hypertension Working Group, funding from which supported the current paper.

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