San Francisco, Calif., – It is well known that socioeconomic factors such as
poverty and low education play a role in health, but new research released
today at the American Public Health Association’s 140th Annual
Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., shows this association is also seen in
biomarkers of the blood
New research suggests that
the variation in size of red blood cells known as “red cell distribution width,”
(RDW) most recently used as a predictor of hospitalization outcomes and
mortality, is now linked back to social causes.
After controlling for a number
of factors, including age, gender, body mass index and history of smoking or
disease, results show that those with low education are nearly one and a half times
more likely to have high RDW. Those living below 100 percent of the federal
poverty level are nearly twice as likely to have high RDW. African Americans
are at higher risk of high RDW than whites, and people who have never been
married are more likely to have high RDW. In addition, with each increase in
the amount of social resources people have, there is a corresponding decrease
in risk of having high RDW.
“We’ve known for years
that low education and low income affect myriad health outcomes, but now we are
seeing this relationship at the cellular level,” said Matthew Pantell, MS, at
UC Berkeley and UCSF, and presenter at APHA’s Annual Meeting. “We’re seeing how
social disadvantages and influences can get under the skin and impact health
unlike we’ve shown before.”
The findings emerge from 1999-2010
data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, which included
13,460 adults aged 45 or older. The research was conducted at the National
Institutes of Health at the National Institute on Aging.
APHA’s 140th Annual Meeting is themed “Prevention
and Wellness Across the Lifespan” and will focus on the importance of
environmental, social and behavioral issues that impact health at all stages of
life.