“We know that our community has a much higher risk of stroke which is a well-published fact,” says Dr. Esenwa. “We wanted to know whether practices from 100 years ago created residual social pressures that aren’t recognized as a factor in community health.”
The project will study the association between historical redlining and modern-day stroke levels in the New York City area neighborhoods. The researchers will then examine if any observed association can be explained by a higher rate of well-known stroke risk factors like high blood pressure and diabetes; or other previously recognized social determinants of health.