The risk of hypertension among young African Americans is attributed to the combination of genetic characteristics and lifestyle patterns. These behaviors are influenced by many factors including the transmission of health beliefs and practices from one generation to the next. Although all African Americans do not share the same risk for the early development of hypertension, there has been little exploration of the differences between the lifestyle of young African Americans at risk for hypertension and those who are not or the linkage of parental characteristics to the lifestyle of their young adult child. This R-21 application proposes to use qualitative and quantitative methods to describe the differences in lifestyle and parental influence over lifestyle between young adult African American at risk for hypertension and those who are not. Sixty participants will be selected from a group of African American males (17-20 yr old) that have been comprehensively studied in an examination of stressed-induced pressure natriuresis among normotensive adolescents. Thirty participants will have had, at the time of their initial assessment, two or more risk factors for hypertension (body mass index [BMI])> 85th percentile, elevated systolic blood pressure, and reduced sodium excretion under stress) and 30 participants will be absent risk factors. The primary data source will be in-depth interviews with the young adult and one parent. They will be asked about hypertension (family history, and understanding of its causes, treatment, and prevention), lifestyle (diet, exercise, smoking, and stress), and factors influencing these lifestyle patterns. Secondary data sources include demographics, parental BMI, family history of chronic disease, and diet history. Using both qualitative and quantitative analyses, the two groups of young African Americans will be compared according to lifestyle patterns, its relation to their parents' experiences, and other family characteristics. This innovative approach will identify relevant intervention points for reducing the risk of hypertension among young African Americans.
| Savoca, Margaret R; Quandt, Sara A; Evans, Conner D et al. (2009) Views of hypertension among young African Americans who vary in their risk of developing hypertension. Ethn Dis 19:28-34 |
| Savoca, Margaret R; Domel Baxter, Suzanne; Ludwig, David A et al. (2007) A 4-day sodium-controlled diet reduces variability of overnight sodium excretion in free-living normotensive adolescents. J Am Diet Assoc 107:490-4 |
