Abstract P153: Multiple Vulnerabilities to Health Disparities and Incident Heart Failure in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study
Background: Multiple socially determined vulnerabilities (SDV) to health disparities often cluster within the same individual. Previous studies have shown that SDV are separately associated with increased risk of heart failure (HF). As there may be a cumulative effect of these SDVs in the same individual, understanding their joint impact on the incidence of HF is critical. Methods: REGARDS is a national prospective cohort study that recruited 30,239 adults <45 years of age from 2003-2007 with ongoing follow-up. We followed participants free of HF at baseline for incident HF hospitalization through December 31, 2016. Guided by the Healthy People 2020 framework, we examined 10 potential SDVs, retaining those that were associated with incident HF (p<0.10) and creating a count of SDV (0, 1, 2, 3+). We used Cox models to examine associations between the SDV count and incident HF, adjusting for potential confounders. Since disparities in HF have been shown to be greatest in younger individuals models were stratified by age. Results: The 25,790 participants were followed for a median of 10.1 years (IQR 6.5, 11.9); their mean age at baseline was 64.8, 55%% were women, and 40% were blacks. In age-adjusted models, Black race, low educational attainment, low annual household income, zip code poverty, poor public health infrastructure, and lack of health insurance were significantly associated with incident HF. In fully adjusted models, among those 45-64 years, compared to having no SDV, having a SDV was significantly associated with incident HF, with a trend toward a higher count conferring greater risk (Fig. 1). There was no association in other age groups. Conclusions: An increased number of SDVs was associated with risk of incident HF hospitalization among adults <65 years, even after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. Using a simple count of SDVs that could be incorporated into the social history during clinical assessment may identify younger individuals at increased risk of incident HF.