Dr. Heather McClintock, associate professor of Public Health at Arcadia University, published “Social determinants of health and hypertension screening among women in The Gambia: an evaluation of 2019-2020 demographic and health survey data” in the Journal of Human Hypertension alongside co-authors Victoria Peacock and Rose Nkiri Asong ’22MPH.

Social determinants of health (SDH) are conditions in an individual’s environment, such as economy, education, health access, etc., that impact health, functioning, and quality of life outcomes. They are also associated with sex-based differences in global access to preventative screening. Dr. McClintock is specifically interested in Sub-Saharan Africa where hypertension is a leading risk factor for female morbidity and mortality. The study examines SDH and its association with hypertension screening utilization among women in The Gambia. 

In all, 4116 women were examined and over one-fifth (21.1%) had never been screened for hypertension. Some factors were found to increase the likelihood of lifetime hypertension screening: older age, rural residence, education higher than secondary, employment, ethnic group identification, richer wealth status, greater parity, and at least one antenatal care visit. In situations where women indicated that others made healthcare decisions for them, they were significantly less likely to have been screened for hypertension. Women who made their healthcare decisions for themselves were far more likely to have had a hypertension screening in their lifetime.

SDH influence access to hypertension screening for women in The Gambia. Dr. McClintock and her co-authors note that initiatives may need to be put in place to address the role of SDH in hypertension screening. This can help improve access to hypertension screenings for women and increase the number of women who ultimately get screened.