Metal Mixtures Mediate the Socioeconomic Gradient in Blood Pressure: A Four-Way Decomposition in a Prospective Rural Bangladeshi Cohort.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The causal mechanisms by which socioeconomic status (SES) affects blood pressure (BP) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain poorly understood. We examined the effects of SES on BP, and the extent to which disparities in metal mixture exposures mediate these effects among rural Bangladeshi adults.

Methods

This study included 5923 participants from the Bangladesh Vitamin E and Selenium Trial (BEST), a prospective cohort followed for six years with repeated BP assessments at baseline and three biennial follow-ups. Baseline exposures included SES indicators: education and agricultural land ownership (socioeconomic position, SEP), and metal mixtures: blood arsenic, lead, selenium, and urinary arsenic. We applied the parametric and mediational g-formula, al

SUBMITTER: Rana J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12486043 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature