Self-reported everyday discrimination and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among people with selected citizenships: results of the GEDA Fokus study - Aim, Methods, Results and Conclusion

Sep 30, 2026

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Discrimination—structural, institutional, or interpersonal—can harm mental and physical health by increasing chronic stress and burdening cardiovascular functioning through inflammatory pathways. This study investigates how self-reported everyday discrimination (sED) relates to cardiovascular disease (CVD) among adults aged 40–79 with Italian, Croatian, Polish, Syrian, or Turkish citizenship. Using Poisson regressions on GEDA Fokus interview survey data (11/2021–05/2022; n=2,965), it evaluates confounding and interaction effects with social support, sense of belonging, and German language proficiency.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

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Pages1

Reading Time3 min

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Aim

Methods

Results

CVD measurement and modelling

Conclusion

vi46 European Journal of Public Health, Vol. 35, Supplement 6, 2025 Abstract citation ID: ckaf180.126 269 Self-reported everyday discrimination and prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among people with selected citizenships: results of the GEDA Fokus study Miss Marleen Bug1, Katja Kajikhina2, Susanne Bartig1,3, Carmen Koschollek1 1Department for Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany 2Department for Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany 3Institute of Sociology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany OP 16: Exclusion and Discrimmination 2, B207 (FCSH), September 4, 2025, 13:30-14:30 Aim: Discrimination, whether structural, institutional, or interpersonal, can have a negative impact on mental and physical health. Experiencing discrimination may lead to chronic stress, which may burden the cardiovascular system and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) through inflammatory processes. This study examines the relationship between self-reported everyday discrimination (sED) and CVD. Methods: Data from the multilingual and multimodal interview survey GEDA Fokus (11/2021-05/2022; n ¼ 2,965; age 40-79) were analysed. Participants had an Italian, Croatian, Polish, Syrian, or Turkish citizenship. Poisson regressions were used to examine associations between sED and CVD, adjusting for gender, age, education, income, social support, sense of belonging to the society in Germany, self-reported German language proficiency, and obesity (BMI) . CVD included self-reported diagnoses of heart attack, coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and hypertension. Interaction effects with social support, sense of belonging, and German language proficiency were also analysed. Results: Of participants, 35.3% reported at least one CVD diagnosis, and 34.9% reported experiencing everyday discrimination sometimes to very often. sED was associated with a higher prevalence of CVD (PR ¼ 1.22; 95% CI: 1.06-1.40) . A lower sense of belonging (PR ¼ 1.39; 95% CI: 1.13-1.72) and obesity (PR ¼ 1.52; 95% CI: 1.29- 1.80) was also correlated with CVD. Moderation analyses showed that individuals who experienced frequent discrimination, combined with lower sense of belonging or poorer German language proficiency, reported the highest prevalence of CVD. Conclusion: Discrimination is an important determinant of CVD prevalence. A lower sense of belonging and poorer German language proficiency reinforce this statistical association. Strengthening psychosocial resources and promoting social inclusion, as well as raising awareness about the health consequences of discrimination, are crucial to reducing health inequalities and improving overall well-being.

FAQs

What is the main aim of the GEDA Fokus analysis?

The study examines the relationship between self-reported everyday discrimination (sED) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence.

What data and participants were used in the methods?

The analysis used the multilingual and multimodal interview survey GEDA Fokus (11/2021–05/2022; n=2,965) with participants aged 40–79 holding Italian, Croatian, Polish, Syrian, or Turkish citizenship.

Which findings describe the association between sED and CVD?

Participants with higher prevalence of CVD also reported more everyday discrimination; sED was linked to higher CVD prevalence (PR 1.22; 95% CI 1.06–1.40). Frequent discrimination together with lower sense of belonging or poorer German language proficiency showed the highest CVD prevalence.

What does the conclusion emphasize for health inequality reduction?

It highlights discrimination as an important determinant of CVD prevalence and calls for strengthening psychosocial resources, promoting social inclusion, and raising awareness of discrimination’s health consequences.

Sep 30, 2026

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