Zhang A

Hughes JT

Brown A

Lawton PD

Cass A

Hoy W

O'Dea K

Maple-Brown LJ

2016-02-11

Lower socioeconomic status has been linked to long-term stress, which can manifest in individuals as physiological stress. The aim was to explore the relationship between low socioeconomic status and physiological stress in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Using data from the eGFR Study (a cross-sectional study of 634 Indigenous Australians in urban and remote areas of northern and central Australia), we examined associations between resting heart rate and demographic, socioeconomic, and biomedical factors. An elevated resting heart rate has been proposed as a measure of sustained stress activation and was used as a marker of physiological stress. Relationships were assessed between heart rate and the above variables using univariate and multiple regression analyses. We reported a mean resting heart rate of 74 beats/min in the cohort (mean age 45 years). On multiple regression analysis, higher heart rate was found to be independently associated with Aboriginal ethnicity, being a current smoker, having only primary level schooling, higher HbA1c and higher diastolic blood pressure (model R(2) 0.25). Elevated resting heart rate was associated with lower socioeconomic status and poorer health profile in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Higher resting heart rate may be an indicator of stress and disadvantage in this population at high risk of chronic diseases.

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia.. School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA..

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia.. Division of Medicine, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Australia..

South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia.. School of Population Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia..

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia..

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia..

Centre for Chronic Disease, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia..

School of Population Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia..

Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia. Louise.Maple-Brown@menzies.edu.au.. Division of Medicine, Royal Darwin Hospital, Darwin, Australia. Louise.Maple-Brown@menzies.edu.au..

BMC cardiovascular disorders 2016-02-11; 16: 36

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26868922/?otool=iaurydwlib

https://hdl.handle.net/10137/5384

Adult

Australia

Blood Pressure

Cross-Sectional Studies

Diastole

Educational Status

Female

Glycated Hemoglobin A

Heart Rate

Humans

Linear Models

Male

Middle Aged

Multivariate Analysis

Smoking

Stress, Physiological

Oceanic Ancestry Group

Social Class

Resting heart rate, physiological stress and disadvantage in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: analysis from a cross-sectional study.

Journal Article

Publication