African Americans in poor neighborhoods face higher risk of heart disease

The risk for heart disease and stroke is significantly greater for black men and women living in impoverished, usually urban neighborhoods, according to an NHLBI-funded study published in the American Journal of Public Health. The researchers analyzed data from the Jackson Heart Study and the 2000 U.S. Census, and found that every step down the scale used to measure socioeconomic status was associated with a 25 percent rise in heart disease risk.