A new study from North Carolina State University shows that worrying about police brutality and harassment is having an impact on heart health for Black women in the United States. The top concern for Black women is the potential interactions between their children and law enforcement.
The study examined 422 Black women aged 30 to 46. Researchers asked participants a series of questions, including concerns about their own future interactions with police, their experiences with law enforcement, and concerns for their children’s future interactions.
Based on the responses, the researchers were classified into three groups. The first group, High Child Vigilance-High Personal Exposure, consisted of 235 women who reportedly had children. This group was also likely to have experienced harassment by law enforcement.
No Child Vigilance-High Personal Exposure is the second group, consisting of 115 women who either had no children or reported little concern about their children’s potential interactions with police. However, they were likely to have experienced harassment by law enforcement themselves.
The last group of 72 women is the third group, Moderate Child Vigilance-Low Personal Exposure. These women reported being moderately concerned about their children’s interactions with law enforcement, but less concerned about their own.
What The Data Reveals
The researchers also used ultrasound technology to measure carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) for all study participants. Carotid IMT refers to the measurement of the thickness of the inner layers of the carotid artery. Thickened inner layers of the carotid artery indicate an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Carotid IMT serves as a marker of cardiovascular risk.
“One key takeaway here is the role that concern for children plays,” Lori Hoggard, corresponding author of the research paper, stated. “Women in the No Child Vigilance-High Personal Exposure group, who had experienced first-hand harassment at the hands of law enforcement, had lower IMT thickness than either of the other two groups.”
Hoggard added, “In other words, even women who had not experienced police harassment – but did have a moderate or high level of concern for how law enforcement might interact with their kids – had thicker IMT measurements than women who had experienced police harassment but did not have concern for children.”
Researchers added that participant age, income, and other demographic or medical variables did not account for the findings.
“This study can only show correlation, not causation, but it suggests that the stress caused by worrying about their children’s interactions with police may be greater than the stress that Black women are experiencing with regard to their own potential interactions with police,” Hoggard said.
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