# Social Inequities in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors at Multiple Levels Persist Among Mothers in Texas

## TL;DR

This study finds that social and geographic factors significantly influence cardiovascular disease risk factors among mothers aged 30–45 in Texas.

## Contribution

The study reveals persistent social inequities in pre-pregnancy cardiovascular risk factors across individual, neighborhood, and county levels.

## Key findings

- Tract-level poverty and racial/ethnic concentrations were strongly associated with higher odds of cardiovascular risk factors.
- Rural county residence was linked to significantly higher odds of risk factors like diabetes and obesity.
- Race/ethnicity and education level showed marked disparities in pre-pregnancy health outcomes.

## Abstract

The life stage between the ages of 30–45 years for women is critical, given the competing demands of occupational advancement, intimate partner relationships, and childcare responsibilities. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among women in the US, which is experienced inequitably by race/ethnicity/nativity and socioeconomic status and is embedded within geographic contexts. The objective of the current study was to examine social inequities in pre-pregnancy risk factors for cardiovascular disease. We analyzed 16 years of geocoded natality data in Texas (N = 2,089,588 births between 2005 and 2020 to mothers aged 30–45 years) linked with census tract- and county-level data. Dependent variables included pre-pregnancy diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and smoking. Independent variables included individual-level race/ethnicity/nativity and educational attainment, tract-level poverty and racial/ethnic concentrations, and county-level urban/rural status, with controls for other sociodemographic characteristics and time trend. Two-level, random intercept hierarchical generalized logistic models were used to estimate associations and model fit. Significant social inequities at the individual-, tract-, and county-levels in each risk factor were found. For example, tract-level variables had substantial and significant association with the four CVD risk factors, ranging from 13% to 72% higher odds in adjusted models. For all four risk factors, the more rural the county of residence was, the higher the odds of having the risk factor (24% to 256% higher odds). Individual-level social inequalities by race/ethnicity/nativity (ORs ranging from 0.04 to 2.12) and education (ORs ranging from 1.25 to 5.20) were also observed. Enhancing our understanding of this important period of life may enable policy and interventions to better support women through this critical life stage.