Welcome to the Reader‘s morning briefing for Tuesday, May 16, 2017.
Northwestern study links high blood pressure to segregated neighborhoods
Segregated neighborhoods have a “powerful effect” on blood pressure levels, according to a new study led by a Northwestern University researcher and published in the JAMA journal Internal Medicine. The study tracked 2,820 African-Americans over decades and discovered that the subjects who left highly segregated neighborhoods experienced a drop in blood pressure, the Tribune reports. The researchers believe that the subjects who lived in less segregated neighborhoods most likely experienced less stress and had more access to healthy food, exercise, and medical care, which results in lower blood pressure. “Where you live influences where your kids go to school, so there’s more opportunity for social and economic mobility, decreased exposure to violence and more economic investment back into the neighborhood,” says Kiarri Kershaw, the study’s lead researcher and assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern. [Tribune]
