The Association between self-reported discrimination, physical health and blood pressure: findings from African Americans, Black immigrants, and Latino immigrants in New Hampshire

Abstract

The relationship between perceived racial discrimination and both blood pressure and perceived physical health has been documented among African Americans. However, this association has not been well-studied for Black or Latino immigrants. We used multiple regression analysis with a cross-sectional sample of 666 African Americans, Black immigrants, and Latino immigrants from the New Hampshire Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health 2010 Initiative to assess the relationship between discrimination and measures of physical health and blood pressure. The study found evidence of a significant U-shaped relationship between discrimination and systolic blood pressure for all three cohorts. Evidence was also found supporting a negative linear relationship between discrimination and physical health. In addition, the association between discrimination and physical health was attenuated for Latinos compared with the other groups. Future research should evaluate how factors associated with acculturation or cumulative exposure to discriminatory stressors may affect the protective resources of immigrants.