Perceived neighborhood problems are associated with shorter telomere length in African American women.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

African Americans (AA) experience higher levels of stress related to living in racially segregated and poor neighborhoods. However, little is known about the associations between perceived neighborhood environments and cellular aging among adult AA. This study examined whether perceived neighborhood environments were associated with telomere length (TL) in AA after adjustment for individual-level risk factors.

Methods

The analysis included 158 women and 75 men AA aged 30-55 years from the Morehouse School of Medicine Study. Relative TL (T/S ratio) was measured from peripheral blood leukocytes using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the associations of perceived neighborhood social cohesion

SUBMITTER: Gebreab SY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5051547 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature