title: Effects of marital transitions on changes in dietary and other health behaviours in US male health professionals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effect of change in marital status on health behaviours among men.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal study of repeated measures of marital status and health behaviours collected at four year intervals (1986-90; 1990-94).
  
  
  METHODS
  US male health professionals.
  
  
  METHODS
  38 865 men aged 40-75 in 1986.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative to men who stayed married over four years, men who became widowed increased their alcohol consumption. Men who become divorced or widowed experienced decreases in body mass index. Compared with men who remained unmarried, men who remarried exhibited increases in body mass index along with decreased physical activity. Becoming divorced or widowed was associated with decreased vegetable intake while remarriage was linked to greater consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Marital termination may adversely affect health and dietary behaviours among men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, MA, USA. meng@epidemiology.com
authors.forename: Patricia Mona
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Eng
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kawachi
authors.forename: Garrett
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fitzmaurice
authors.forename: Eric B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Rimm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004243:Divorce / Q000523:psychology; D015444:Exercise; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014675:Vegetables; D017805:Widowhood