Life Pressures, Eye Pressures: Allostatic Load's Mediating Role in Glaucoma Racial Disparities

Authors

Young Sheng, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

6-15-2023

Comments

Presentation: 5:51

Poster attached as supplemental file below

Abstract

The “weathering hypothesis” posits that chronic social stresses such as racism and poverty may contribute to physiological dysregulation and observed health disparities. This study examines whether racially disparate odds of having glaucoma can be mediated by allostatic load score, a measure of weathering. Our study sampled 5596 people ages 40 years and above from the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included lab biomarkers and retinal images diagnosed by glaucoma specialists. Based on prior literature, we constructed allostatic load scores (ALS) using 75th or 25th percentiles of nine biomarkers. Logistic regression and causal mediation analysis were used to examine the relationships between having glaucoma, ALS, and race. Out of 5596 people sampled, 147 participants (2.6%) were classified as having glaucoma in at least one eye. Compared to people self-identifying as White (2.71, S.E.=0.05), people self-identifying as Black had a higher mean allostatic load score (3.38, S.E.=0.06, p

Recommended Citation

Sheng, Young, "Life Pressures, Eye Pressures: Allostatic Load's Mediating Role in Glaucoma Racial Disparities" (2023). Master of Public Health Capstone Presentations. Presentation 503.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/mphcapstone_presentation/503

Language

English