A comprehensive study examining over 71,000 neighborhoods across America reveals how structural racism creates profound inequities in cardiovascular health. Researchers found that communities experiencing the highest levels of structural racism showed dramatically elevated rates of heart disease risk factors compared to those with the lowest levels.
The study measured structural racism through nine interconnected domains including housing, education, employment, criminal justice, and wealth. Neighborhoods in the highest quintile of structural racism had 80% higher rates of diabetes and 40% higher rates of obesity compared to those in the lowest quintile. Stroke prevalence was 99% higher in communities most affected by structural racism.
Black residents disproportionately lived in neighborhoods with the greatest structural disadvantages. In communities with the highest structural racism levels, 23% of the population was Black, compared to just 2.2% in the lowest. These neighborhoods were predominantly located in the South and had higher uninsured rates.
However, the study found that structural racism’s harmful health effects extended beyond racial demographics. Regardless of neighborhood racial and ethnic composition, greater structural racism was associated with higher prevalence rates of cardiovascular risk factors and diseases, affecting all residents including White populations in disadvantaged areas.
The findings underscore how discriminatory systems perpetuate health disparities through intersecting inequities in education funding, income opportunities, and community resources.
See: “Manifestations of Structural Racism and Inequities in Cardiovascular Health Across US Neighborhoods” (October 31, 2025)Â
