Racial Disparities in Health Among College-Educated African Americans: Can Attendance at Historically Black Colleges or Universities Reduce the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Midlife?

Abstract

We expand on existing understandings of health disparities among middle-class African-Americans by examining how the postsecondary educational context gives rise to the unequal distribution of health. We use panel data (1994-2009) from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to estimate if the risk of developing metabolic syndrome by midlife significantly differs for African-Americans who attended Historically Black College or Universities (HBCUs) vs. predominantly White institutions (PWIs). We find that HBCU enrollment is associated with a 35% reduction in the odds of metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, we demonstrate that HBCU attendees who grew up in more segregated environments experienced the greatest reductions in the likelihood of developing metabolic syndrome. Our results underscore the important role that HBCUs play in the lives of African-Americans and suggest their impacts go far beyond traditional benchmarks of socioeconomic achievement to include key health outcomes.

Education in the Jim Crow South and Black-White inequities in allostatic load among older adults

“…The samples utilized in studies that found effect modification ( Howard & Sparks, 2015 ; Richardson et al, 2021 ; Sims & Coley, 2019 ), however, were either mostly (or solely) comprised of adults who attended school after Brown when access to higher education was greater for Black adults. While more Black adults were able to attend college during the post- Brown era, doing so at predominantly White institutions also increases exposure to racial marginalization and discrimination ( Feagin et al, 1996 ; Lewis & Shah, 2021 ), which has been linked to poorer metabolic health ( Colen et al, 2021 ).…”

The impact of attending historically Black colleges and universities on cognitive decline in Black adults: A longitudinal analysis in the KHANDLE and STAR cohorts

“…shown that attending an HBCU versus a PWI predicted lower risk of metabolic syndrome in mid-life Black adults, and that this effect was strongest for those who attended predominantly Black high schools and lived in predominantly Black communities, 31 but no previous study has evaluated later life cognitive outcomes. Our study findings underscore the need for more nuanced data collection on race-based educational experiences to better understand Black-White inequities in cognitive aging across all levels of educational attainment.…”

“…This is due in part to the fact that despite wide availability of large data sources comprised of demographic and health variables, few datasets include the specific names or school codes of colleges attended and subsequent cognitive outcomes. A recent study among Medicaid recipients in Northern Manhattan showed that attending an HBCU versus a PWI provided mid-life Black adults some protection against developing metabolic syndrome, 31 a condition linked to increased progression of dementia, 32,33 suggesting a pathway through which HBCU attendance may protect against cognitive decline for Black adults.…”

Alumni Perceptions of the Educational Benefits of Their Graduate Degrees from a PBI

“…These include greater levels of faculty interactions and a welcoming environment inclusive of racial and cultural diversity, while ensuring positive academic outcomes including less time to degree completion and similar graduation rates as non-HBCUs (Anderson & Hrabowski, 1977;Fountaine, 2012;Hall & Clossen, 2005;Palmer et al, 2012). At least one study indicated that there were health benefits that accrued later in life that are attributable to attending an MSI (Colen et al, 2021). African American graduate students in particular have emphasized the affirming, caring, and nurturing environments of HBCUs in influencing their personal and professional development (Palmer et al, 2016).…”