title: Subjective health and fibrinogen in a healthy Chinese cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study explores standard cardiovascular (CVD) risk factors in a healthy population sample, with low CVD prevalence and presumed higher social connectedness as potential mechanisms linking subjective health (SH) and physical health.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based, telephone-sampled, cross-sectional study recruited a healthy subset of 2280 Chinese adults who subsequently underwent a free medical examination. Serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), triglycerides, fibrinogen, fasting glucose, 2-hour post-load glucose, blood pressure and adiposity were compared between respondents reporting good SH and those reporting poor SH over the past 3 months, on a 4-point, single-item measure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment for age, gender, education, exercise, marital and smoking status, only serum fibrinogen significantly differentiated the two groups. Respondents reporting Very poor or Poor SH had a significantly greater likelihood of raised mean fibrinogen levels compared with those reporting Good or Very good SH (Adjusted Odds Ratio 1.37, 95% CL 1.002-1.84, p < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a small but robust association between SH and fibrinogen in this low CVD prevalent population unexplained by known pre-existing disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. Fielding@hkusua.hku.hk
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fielding
authors.forename: Tai Hing
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Sai Yin
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Edward D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Janus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology*; D002681:China; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D005340:Fibrinogen