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Financial strain and ideal cardiovascular health in middle-aged and older women: Data from the Women's health study.

ABSTRACT: Financial strain is a prevalent form of psychosocial stress in the United States; however, information about the relationship between financial strain and cardiovascular health remains sparse, particularly in older women. METHODS:The cross-sectional association between financial strain and ideal cardiovascular health were examined in the Women's Health Study follow-up cohort (N?=?22,048; mean age?=?72±?6.0 years).Six self-reported measures of financial strain were summed together to create a financial strain index and categorized into 4 groups: No financial strain, 1 stressor, 2 stressors, and 3+ stressors. Ideal cardiovascular health was based on the American Heart Association strategic 2020 goals metric, including tobacco use, body mass index, physical activity, diet, blood pressure, total cholesterol and diabetes mellitus. Cardiovascular health was examined as continuous and a categorical outcome (ideal, intermediate, and poor). Statistical analyses adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, education and income. RESULTS:At least one indicator of financial strain was reported by 16% of participants. Number of financial stressors was associated with lower ideal cardiovascular health, and this association persisted after adjustment for potential confounders (1 financial stressor (FS): B?=?-0.10, 95% Confidence Intervals (CI)?=?-0.13, -0.07; 2 FS: B?=?-0.20, 95% CI?=?-0.26, -0.15; 3+ FS: B?=?-0.44, 95% CI?=?-0.50, -0.38). CONCLUSION:Financial strain was associated with lower ideal cardiovascular health in middle aged and older female health professional women. The results of this study have implications for the potential cardiovascular health benefit of financial protections for older individuals.

SUBMITTER: Cabeza de Baca T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6698388 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Financial strain and ideal cardiovascular health in middle-aged and older women: Data from the Women's health study.

Cabeza de Baca Tomás T Burroughs Peña Melissa S MS Slopen Natalie N Williams David D Buring Julie J Albert Michelle A MA

American heart journal 20190614

Financial strain is a prevalent form of psychosocial stress in the United States; however, information about the relationship between financial strain and cardiovascular health remains sparse, particularly in older women.<h4>Methods</h4>The cross-sectional association between financial strain and ideal cardiovascular health were examined in the Women's Health Study follow-up cohort (N = 22,048; mean age = 72± 6.0 years).Six self-reported measures of financial strain were summed together to creat ...[more]

PMID: 31323455

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Project description:BackgroundResearch implicates acute and chronic stressors in racial/ethnic health disparities, but the joint impact of multiple stressors on racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular health is unknown.MethodsIn 25 062 women (24 053 white; 256 Hispanic; 440 black; 313 Asian) articipating in the Women's Health Study follow-up cohort, we examined the relationship between cumulative psychosocial stress (CPS) and ideal cardiovascular health (ICH), as defined by the American Heart Association's 2020 strategic Impact Goals. This health metric includes smoking, body mass index, physical activity, diet, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and glucose, with higher levels indicating more ICH and less cardiovascular risk (score range, 0-7). We created a CPS score that summarized acute stressors (eg, negative life events) and chronic stressors (eg, work, work-family spillover, financial, discrimination, relationship, and neighborhood) and traumatic life event stress reported on a stress questionnaire administered in 2012 to 2013 (score range, 16-385, with higher scores indicating higher levels of stress).ResultsWhite women had the lowest mean CPS scores (white: 161.7±50.4; Hispanic: 171.2±51.7; black: 172.5±54.9; Asian: 170.8±50.6; Poverall<0.01). Mean CPS scores remained higher in Hispanic, black, and Asian women than in white women after adjustment for age, socioeconomic status (income and education), and psychological status (depression and anxiety) ( P<0.01 for each). Mean ICH scores varied by race/ethnicity ( P<0.01) and were significantly lower in black women and higher in Asian women compared with white women (β-coefficient [95% CI]: Hispanics, -0.02 [-0.13 to -0.09]; blacks, -0.34 [-0.43 to -0.25]; Asians, 0.34 [0.24 to 0.45]); control for socioeconomic status and CPS did not change these results. Interactions between CPS and race/ethnicity in ICH models were not significant.ConclusionsBoth CPS and ICH varied by race/ethnicity. ICH remained worse in blacks and better in Asians compared with whites, despite taking into account socioeconomic factors and CPS.

Project description:Background:Self-rated Health (SRH) is regarded as a simple and valid measure of a person's health status, given its association to adverse health outcomes, including low physical performance in older populations. However, studies investigating these associations in low- and middle-income settings are scarce, especially for middle-aged populations. Understanding the validity of SRH in relation to objective health measures in low-income populations could assist in decision making about health policy and strategies, especially in under-resourced settings. Objective:Assess the relationship between SRH and physical performance measures in middle-aged and older women in a low-income setting of Brazil. Methods:This is a cross-sectional study of 571 middle-aged (40-59 years old) and older (60-80 years old) women living in Parnamirim and Santa Cruz in the Northeast region of Brazil. Participants reported their health status and were allocated to the "SRH good" or "SRH poor" groups. The physical performance evaluation included: handgrip strength, one-legged balance with eyes open and closed and chair stand test. The relationship between SRH and physical performance for middle-aged and older women was assessed by quantile regression (modeling medians) adjusted for potential confounders (age, socioeconomic variables, body mass index, menopause status, age at first birth, parity, chronic conditions and physical activity). Results:Middle-aged women from the "SRH good" group presented better physical performance with 1.75 kgf stronger handgrip strength (95% CI [0.47-3.02]; p = 0.004), 1.31 s longer balance with eyes closed ([0.00-2.61]; p = 0.030), and they were 0.56 s faster in the chair stand test ([0.18-0.94]; p = 0.009) than those who reported "SRH poor". No association was found for balance with eyes open. For older women, there was no evidence of associations between physical performance and SRH. Conclusion:This study showed that SRH is significantly associated with objective measures of physical performance in a sample of low-income middle-aged women. SRH can be an important tool to indicate the need for further evaluation of physical performance among middle-aged women and can be particularly useful for low-income communities.

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Dataset Information

Financial strain and ideal cardiovascular health in middle-aged and older women: Data from the Women's health study.

Publications

Financial strain and ideal cardiovascular health in middle-aged and older women: Data from the Women's health study.

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