Intersectional Experiences of Gender and Race in CKM Health Prevalence

• In Event: Medical Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 9. Racialized Experiences of Health and Healthcare

Abstract

Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome is a biomarker measure that captures health risks across interconnected biological systems. National trends reveal growing comorbidity across these systems, with one-quarter of U.S. adults experiencing at least one CKM-related condition between 2015 and 2020. Population disparities in disease progression exists, as Black adults experience disproportionately higher rates of advanced CKM compared to other racial groups.

This research project focuses on within-group heterogeneity of CKM syndrome outcomes among Black U.S. adults through a gender lens. Previous research reveals that Black women and men face large inequalities in cardiovascular, metabolic and kidney health. Stress exposures may play a role in explaining the existence of gendered disparities in these health outcomes. While perceived discrimination is a known mechanism in health disparity research, little work has examined this relationship with the complex biomarker outcome of CKM syndrome.

I use Waves I, IV, and V of Add Health to examine the relationships between gender, perceived discrimination and CKM syndrome (N=576). Preliminary results reveal some disparities by gender in CKM staging, as well as potential differential impacts of discrimination on health by gender. Further analysis will include ordinal logistic regressions to evaluate how these associations contribute to health inequalities among Black adults.

Author

• Athena Owirodu, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill