The objective of the proposed study is to examine sources of individual differences in measures of well-being, blood pressure, and the relationship between well-being and blood pressure in adult African Americans.
The specific aims of the proposed study are: 1. to examine the relationship between measures of well-being and blood pressure among a sample of African American twins; 2. to decompose the genetic and environmental sources of variance in the relationship between well- being and blood pressure; 3. to account for the impact of psychosocial variables (e.g. age, gender, education) on the relationship of well being and blood pressure. African Americans experience one of the highest rates of hypertension in the world. However, little is known about the sources of individual differences in blood pressure in this population. The proposed study will analyze measures of well-being (stress & active coping) and blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) collected from participants of the Carolina African American Twin Study of Aging (CAATSA). Participants in CAATSA range in age from 25 to 89 years. The sample currently includes 90 identical twin pairs and 97 same-sex fraternal twins pairs. Data analysis will be conducted using biometrical model fitting procedures. Multivariate genetic models will be used to examine genetic and environmental influences on measures of well-being blood pressure, and the relationship of well-being and blood pressure. Understanding the sources of individual differences (genetic and environmental) in blood pressure in this population is critical to comprehending the etiology of hypertension and ameliorating this health disparity.
