Residential Segregation and Epigenetic Age Acceleration Among Older-Age Black and White Americans

Our study tests residential segregation as an explanation for biological aging disparities between Black and White Americans. We analyze data from 288 Black and White older-age adults who participated in Wave 6 (2019) of the Americans’ Changing Lives study, a nationally representative cohort of adults in the contiguous United States. Our outcome of interest is epigenetic age acceleration assessed via five epigenetic clocks: GrimAge, PhenoAge, SkinBloodAge, HannumAge, and HorvathAge. Residential segregation is operationalized at the census tract level using the Getis-Ord G i * statistic and multilevel modeling procedures that adjust for state-level clustering. We uncover three key findings. First, epigenetic age profiles are comparable among White respondents regardless of where they live. Second, Black respondents express roughly three years of accelerated epigenetic age (GrimAge), relative to White counterparts, regardless of where they live. Third, diminished education levels and homeownership rates, coupled with elevated levels of traumatic stress and smoking, explain why Black residents in segregated Black areas exhibit accelerated epigenetic age. However, these factors do not explain why Black respondents living outside segregated Black areas also exhibit epigenetic age acceleration. Our findings suggest residential segregation only partially explains why Black Americans tend to live shorter lives than White Americans.