Associations of health, dietary and job-related factors, and mental problems with cardiovascular diseases in aging.
BACKGROUND
While cardiovascular diseases are prevalent in aging population, associations between different factors and cardiovascular diseases are less studied or inconsistency still exists.


OBJECTIVE
To determine which factors measured at baseline predicted overall cardiovascular diseases and hypertension, and which factors were currently associated with these conditions.


METHODS
Based on a sample of aging and retired food industry employees (N = 100, mean age 62 years) associations of health, dietary and job-related factors and mental problems with overall cardiovascular morbidity and hypertension were assessed with independent samples t-test, chi2 test and binary logistic regression analyses. Data were derived from health examinations and self-completed questionnaires in 1989 and 2000.


RESULTS
Added medical findings, related to cardiovascular diseases, appeared as predictor of overall cardiovascular morbidity, while elevated blood pressure together with high systolic and diastolic pressure, dyslipidemia and elevated blood pressure together, added medical findings, and inability to enjoy daily activities predicted hypertension. According to our analyses most significant current associations with overall cardiovascular morbidity were feeling of weakness, dyspnoea, hopelessness about the future, cardiac arrhythmia, chronic mental stress and lower HDL cholesterol, and with hypertension metabolic syndrome, lower HDL cholesterol, hopelessness about the future and muscular fatigue on exertion.


CONCLUSIONS
Health factors were most important predictors of hypertension during a long-term period, while health factors together with mental problems had significant current associations with overall cardiovascular morbidity including hypertension.
Salonen
P
P
Tampere School of Public Health, 33014 University of Tampere, Finland. pahasa@saunalahti.fi
Arola
H
H
Nygård
C-H
CH
Huhtala
H
H
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL