496 - Neighborhood Social Disadvantage is Associated with a Higher Prevalence of Pediatric Hypertension
Saturday, April 25, 2026
3:30pm - 5:45pm ET
Publication Number: 2482.496
Madhumithaa Venkatesalu, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States; Deba Elaiho, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States; Armando S. Amador, Baylor College of Medicine, Pasadena, TX, United States; Elizabeth A. Onugha, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
Medical Student Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas, United States
Background: Childhood hypertension often persists into adulthood and increases cardiovascular risk. Social determinants of health, such as healthcare access, neighborhood environment, and economic stability, are known to influence hypertension risk and outcomes. However, the impact of neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation on pediatric hypertension risk remains understudied. Objective: To evaluate the association between neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation, measured by the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and the prevalence of pediatric hypertension. We hypothesized that higher ADI score would be associated with increased pediatric hypertension prevalence. Design/Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 136 pediatric patients referred to the Texas Children’s Hospital Hypertension Clinic in 2024. Hypertension was confirmed via ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). ADI score, derived from each patient’s residential address, quantifies neighborhood-level socioeconomic deprivation based on income, education, employment, and housing quality. We categorized ADI into quartiles (Q1 = least deprived; Q4 = most deprived). Patient characteristics were reported as frequencies and proportions for categorical variables as median and interquartile range (IQR) for continuous variables. Hypertension prevalence by ADI quartile was depicted using bar charts. Results: Of 136 children (median age 14 years, IQR: 1, 16); 62.5% male; 41.9% obese), Hypertension prevalence was 91.9% (125/136). The median ADI of the cohort was 56.5 (IQR: 35.5, 70.0). Compared to the prevalence of normal blood pressure, the distribution of hypertension by ADI quartiles was 11.8% in Q1; 44.8% in Q2; 60.3% in Q3; and 52.3% in Q4. Higher ADI quartiles were significantly associated with higher prevalence of pediatric hypertension (all p-values < 0.05 compared to Q1).
Conclusion(s): We found that neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation was associated with pediatric hypertension prevalence. Future research will investigate additional neighborhood factors, such as food insecurity and neighborhood walkability, to gain deeper insight into the mechanisms driving this association.
