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"Neighborhood Disadvantage, Sleep and Vascular Health"

Completed
Conditions
Endothelial Dysfunction
Blood Pressure
Racism
Stiffness, Arterial
Sleep
Registration Number
NCT04576338
Lead Sponsor
Auburn University
Brief Summary

The purpose of the study is to find out the effects of neighborhood disadvantage and sleep disparities contribute to racial disparities in cardiometabolic health and blood pressure in young adults.

Detailed Description

There are well-documented disparities between Black and white Americans in the incidence of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in America. There are also disparities between Black and White Americans in the incidence of hypertension (high blood pressure; BP), which is the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Our long-term goal is to determine effective strategies to prevent racial disparities in cardiovascular health. In this proposal, the investigators will focus on determining societal and biological mediators of racial disparities in young adults that can be targeted in future interventions. Poor sleep is associated with adverse cardiovascular events and hypertension. Moreover, recent meta-analyses demonstrate that Black adults have consistently poorer sleep health than White adults, including receiving fewer total sleep minutes and having worse overall sleep quality. Neighborhood socioeconomic environments influence health behaviors through both material resources (e.g., access to healthful foods and safe public space) and social norms (e.g. exercise, diet, smoking). A well-documented history of discriminatory policies and practices has resulted in black individuals living in more disadvantaged physical and social environments than whites. As such, they experience greater adverse exposures (e.g., racism, violence and stress), which negatively impact sleep, resulting in dysregulation of cardiometabolic health. Therefore, the investigators seek to determine the role of neighborhood disadvantage and sleep in contributing to racial disparities in cardiovascular health.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
55
Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
  • Systolic blood pressure greater than 150 mmHg
  • Diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mmHg
  • Body mass index above 35 kg/m^2
  • History of cardiovascular disease
  • Recent (one year) history of cancer
  • History of metabolic disease (e.g. type 2 diabetes)

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Pulse wave velocity (arterial stiffness)Baseline racial comparison

The investigators will use the SphygmoCor XCEL system to assess pulse wave velocity (PWV). A high-fidelity strain-gauge transducer is used to obtain the pressure waveform at the carotid pulse. Distances from the carotid artery sampling site to the femoral artery (upper leg instrumented with a thigh cuff for oscillometric sphygmomanometry), and from the carotid artery to the suprasternal notch will be recorded.PWV will be expressed as cm/s.

Objective sleep duration and qualityBaseline racial comparison

Philips actiwatch spectrum will be used to quantify sleep duration. Participants will wear the watch units for 7 days. The investigators will cross-check actigraphy wear times with a sleep diary.

Pulse wave analysis (arterial stiffness)Baseline racial comparison

The investigators will use the SphygmoCor XCEL system to assess pulse wave analysis (PWA) using an upper arm blood pressure cuff. PWA will be expressed as % (calculated as augmentation pressure divided by the pulse pressure).

24-hour ambulatory blood pressureBaseline racial comparison

Participants will wear an Oscar2 (with SphygmoCor) ambulatory blood pressure monitor on their upper arm for up to 24-hours preceding their study visit to measure systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The purpose of the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is to determine blood pressure regulation over an entire day. This blood pressure monitor will be set to automatically take blood pressure every 20 minutes. The monitor records and saves each blood pressure measurement automatically.

Subjective sleep qualityBaseline racial comparison

The investigators will use the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to asses sleep duration and perceived sleep quality reflective of the one month period leading into the study. The PSQI global score has a possible range of 0-21 points.

Flow-mediated dilation (FMD)Baseline racial comparison

Flow-mediated vasodilation will be assessed using continuous measures of brachial artery diameter and velocity via duplex Doppler ultrasound (Hitachi Arietta 70). The brachial artery will be imaged in the longitudinal plane proximal to the medial epicondyle using a high-frequency (6-12 MHz) linear-array probe. The ultrasound probe will be stabilized using a custom-built clamp. Shear rate (sec-1) will be calculated as \[(blood flow velocity (cm\*s-1) \*4)/blood vessel diameter (mm)\] The image will be recorded throughout a 60-s baseline, a 300-s ischemic stimulus (250 mmHg), and 180 seconds post deflation. FMD will be expressed as % dilation (final diameter-baseline diameter/baseline diameter x 100) and also normalized to the shear stimulus. Allometric scaling will be used if appropriate, including if there are baseline differences in artery diameter by race or condition.

Blood pressure reactivityBaseline racial comparison

The investigators will measure systolic and diastolic pressure using photoplethysmography at the finger. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be assessed at rest and during handgrip exercise. Blood pressure reactivity will be expressed as a change in pressure (mmHg) from baseline to a predetermined time during the stressor (e.g., minute one average and minute two average).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Mental health - social anxietyBaseline racial comparison

The investigators will administer the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. The scale starts at 0 (none) and ends at 3 (severe) for 24 questions related to anxiety and avoidance, and a cumulative score is calculated.

Circulating reactive oxygen speciesBaseline racial comparison

The investigators will use electron paramagnetic resonance to measure reactive oxygen species (spectra units) in whole blood samples treated with a spin probe.

Blood biomarkers of nitric oxide bioavailabilityBaseline racial comparison

The investigators will measure nitric oxide metabolites (nitrate and nitrite nanomolar concentration) using chemiluminescence

Physical activityBaseline racial comparison

Participants will wear an ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer for seven days to objectively quantify steps per day and metabolic equivalents per day.

Mental health - depressionBaseline racial comparison

The investigators will administer the Beck's Depression Inventory. The scale starts at 0 and ends at 3 for 21 questions related to depression.

Habitual dietary intakeBaseline racial comparison

The investigators will instruct participants to complete a diet log for 5 days which will be operationalized with Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR).

Neighborhood disadvantageBaseline racial comparison

The investigators will ask participants to identify their home addresses with investigator assistance and Google maps and potential assistance from their guardians or parents during early- and mid-childhood and adolescence. The investigators will use the participant's address and census tract information to determine measures of neighborhood quality such as median income, crime rates, and median education level.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Kinesiology Building

🇺🇸

Auburn, Alabama, United States

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