POLICE VIOLENCE EXPOSURE AND CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK IN BLACK WOMEN

Cardiometabolic diseases are the leading causes of death in women and disproportionately affect African American and Black women in the United States, particularly at younger ages (18-40 years) (American Heart Association, 2021). Traditional cardiometabolic risk (CMR) factors such as obesity and hypertension may not fully account for these disparities. Among African American and Black women, the intersection of race- and gender-related stress (e.g., discrimination, racism, sexism) may contribute to the disproportionate burden of CMR. While racism-related stressors such as perceived discrimination and experiences of racism have been related to higher blood pressure and sleep disturbances, few studies have evaluated how police violence may impact the health of African American and Black women and CMR in particular. Yet, African American and Black women are more likely to experience or witness police violence and worry about a family member becoming a victim of police violence than non-Hispanic White women (Alang et al., 2017). Thus, the overall goal of this dissertation is to examine associations between police violence and CMR in young African American and Black women. To address this overall goal, we first completed a scoping review to map out the definitions and conceptualization of police violence in the health literature (Aim 1, Chapter 2). Next, conducted a cross-sectional study with 59 African American and Black women (aged 18-40 years) from North Carolina to investigate the relationships between exposure to police violence and two key health aspects: cardiometabolic risk (Aim 2, Chapter 3) and pro- and anti-inflammatory markers (Aim 3, Chapter 4). Findings from this dissertation could significantly influence research and policy regarding police violence and its connection to cardiometabolic health.