Shared health behaviors among older Mexican American spouses.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the association of health behaviors among husbands and wives.


METHODS
Cohort study of 553 Mexican American couples aged 65 years or older from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (H-EPESE). Multivariate regression analyses test the association of body mass index, smoking, and alcohol consumption among husbands and wives.


RESULTS
Body mass index is positively associated among couples. Risk of smoking or drinking was higher if the partner had ever smoked or drank alcohol.


CONCLUSIONS
Health behaviors are associated among older Mexican American couples. Intervention efforts should be directed at both spouses.
Stimpson
Jim P
JP
Sealy Center on Aging, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, 77555, USA. jastimps@utmb.edu
Masel
Meredith C
MC
Rudkin
Laura
L
Peek
M Kristen
MK
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005192:Family Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style / Q000208:ethnology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018454:Spouses / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States