Heart disease and death rates are greater in rural and black communities.
According to new research from the University of Georgia, the U.S. cardiovascular disease rates in the U.S. are going down in predominantly white communities, but increasing in Black and rural communities.
Lead researcher Heejung Son said they are focusing on reducing the gap rather than studying the decreasing rates of heart disease. They are focusing more on why this is happening and what could be its causes.
“Even though the rates of cardiovascular disease are decreasing, the gaps between rural and urban health and counties with more Black residents are not decreasing,” said Heejung Son. “The main point of our study is that we need to try to find ways to reduce those gaps.”
The researchers relied on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that covered more than 3,100 counties across the country.
The purpose of the survey is to determine how various community-level factors interact.
Researchers have found that possible factors could be food insecurity, low income, and housing instability in Black and rural communities. Researchers also found that households with chronic stress due to low wages are more likely to experience illness.
The study also revealed that counties with higher percentages of individuals who utilized food stamps, lived in mobile homes, or had only had a highschool education had higher mortality rates from cardiovascular disease.
Co-author Adam Chen believes there needs to be a strong, proactive housing affordability change and more accessible healthcare.
“We need to be thinking outside of the box,” Chen said.