title: Social mobility by marriage and risk of cardiovascular disease among adults in Southwestern Poland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The social position of a husband or wife can influence the health status of the individual and his/her partner. Also, social position can change over time as a result of education, job, income, marriage and/or divorce.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association of mobility by marriage based on educational discrepancy between spouses and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Polish men and women of 40-50 years of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample included 394 married men and 453 married women of 40-50 years of age. All were residents of Wrocław located in southwestern Poland. Risk of CVD was assessed with the Framingham Risk Score (FRS). The sex-specific effect of social mobility on CVD risk (FRS) was tested by multiple regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among Polish married men and women, social mobility by marriage had a significant association with risk of CVD. Downwardly mobile men and women had a higher risk of CVD, while upwardly mobile men and women had a lower risk of CVD compared with individuals from homogamous marriages. The sole exception to this trend was poorly educated men among whom marriage with a better educated wife did not affect CVD risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Social mobility by marriage influences CVD risk. The results provide additional insights for studies examining socioeconomic differentials in CVD risk.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anthropology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kuznicza 3550-951, Wroclaw, PO Box 1180, Poland. anna.lipowicz@antro.pan.wroc.pl
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lipowicz
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szklarska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012937:Social Mobility; D018454:Spouses / Q000193:education