Socioeconomic and environmental factors associated with glaucoma in an African Ancestry Population: findings from the Primary Open-Angle African American Glaucoma Genetics (POAAGG) study

Abstract

Background/objectives: Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, disproportionately affecting individuals of African ancestry. Limited research has examined the impact of neighbourhood quality and socioeconomic factors on primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) risk in this population. This study aims to address these gaps by evaluating associations between ocular health and neighbourhood characteristics using geospatial data.

Subjects/methods: We conducted a case-control study with 5192 African ancestry individuals from the Philadelphia area using data from the Primary Open-Angle African American Glaucoma Genetics (POAAGG) study. Geocoded U.S. Census data were merged with individual-level demographics and neighbourhood-level measures, including air quality, food accessibility, and socioeconomic indicators, to assess their association with glaucoma risk and severity.

Results: The study included 3039 controls (58.5%) and 2153 POAG cases (41.5%). Higher POAG risk was associated with older age (OR 1.72 per 10-year increase, p < 0.001), male gender (OR 2.04, p < 0.001), lower BMI (OR 0.87 per 10 kg/m² increase, p = 0.003), and nonuse of alcohol (OR 0.56 for alcohol use, p < 0.001). Low food access was more common in controls (OR 0.86, p = 0.03), and severe POAG cases were associated with lower homeownership rates (OR 0.95 per 10% increase, p = 0.049). However, most socioeconomic and environmental factors (air quality, education, income, occupation, family structure) were not significantly linked to POAG risk or severity.

Conclusion: Socioeconomic status did not significantly protect against POAG in African ancestry individuals. Individual factors were more influential, suggesting neighbourhood and socioeconomic factors may have a lesser impact than previously hypothesised.