Loading...
Date of Award
2026
Degree Name
Master of Public Health
Department
Community & Global Public Health; College of Health Sciences
First Advisor
Suzanne Redington, DrPH, MPH, CPH
Abstract
Background: Black women experience maternal mortality three times the rate of White women, driven partly by higher prevalence and poorer management of hypertension, diabetes, and underdiagnosed depression. Researchers have identified depression co-occurring with chronic illness as a determinant of maternal health outcomes.
Purpose: This study examines the association between depression severity and chronic conditions among women of childbearing age and whether these associations differ for Black women compared with other racial/ethnic groups.
Methods: I conducted a cross-sectional secondary analysis of 2021–2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses examined associations between depression severity and the presence of hypertension and diabetes. Models included race and a depression severity × race interaction term while adjusting for behavioral and sociodemographic factors.
Results: Bivariate analyses indicated that hypertension and diabetes prevalence did not significantly differ by depression severity. However, hypertension prevalence differed significantly by race (Rao-Scott F (1,15) = 28.16, p < .001), while diabetes prevalence did not. In multivariable logistic regression models, depression severity did not significantly predict either hypertension or diabetes. Non-Hispanic Black women had significantly higher odds of hypertension compared with women of other racial/ethnic groups (OR = 3.65, 95% CI [1.91, 6.98]), and the interaction between depression severity and race was not statistically significant for either chronic condition.
Conclusion: These findings underscore the need for early screening and prevention strategies addressing both mental health and chronic disease risk among women of childbearing age to reduce disparities in maternal health outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Kibret, Redate, "Disparities in the Severity of Depression and Chronic Conditions (Diabetes and Hypertension) Among Women of Childbearing Age: A Focus on Black Women" (2026). Capstone Showcase. 2.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2026/public_health/2
Disparities in the Severity of Depression and Chronic Conditions (Diabetes and Hypertension) Among Women of Childbearing Age: A Focus on Black Women
Background: Black women experience maternal mortality three times the rate of White women, driven partly by higher prevalence and poorer management of hypertension, diabetes, and underdiagnosed depression. Researchers have identified depression co-occurring with chronic illness as a determinant of maternal health outcomes.
Purpose: This study examines the association between depression severity and chronic conditions among women of childbearing age and whether these associations differ for Black women compared with other racial/ethnic groups.
Methods: I conducted a cross-sectional secondary analysis of 2021–2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses examined associations between depression severity and the presence of hypertension and diabetes. Models included race and a depression severity × race interaction term while adjusting for behavioral and sociodemographic factors.
Results: Bivariate analyses indicated that hypertension and diabetes prevalence did not significantly differ by depression severity. However, hypertension prevalence differed significantly by race (Rao-Scott F (1,15) = 28.16, p < .001), while diabetes prevalence did not. In multivariable logistic regression models, depression severity did not significantly predict either hypertension or diabetes. Non-Hispanic Black women had significantly higher odds of hypertension compared with women of other racial/ethnic groups (OR = 3.65, 95% CI [1.91, 6.98]), and the interaction between depression severity and race was not statistically significant for either chronic condition.
Conclusion: These findings underscore the need for early screening and prevention strategies addressing both mental health and chronic disease risk among women of childbearing age to reduce disparities in maternal health outcomes.