Childhood socioeconomic position, young adult intelligence and fillings of prescribed medicine for prevention of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged men.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the relationship between childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and filling of medicine prescriptions for prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), with young adult intelligence (IQ) as a potential mediator.


METHODS
Birth cohort study with logistic and Cox-proportional hazard regression analyses of associations between childhood SEP, retrieved from birth certificates, and prevalence, initiation of and refill persistency for CVD preventive medicine.


METHODS
Denmark.


METHODS
8736 Danish men born in 1953, who had no CVD at the start of follow-up in 1995, were followed in the Danish National Prescription Register for initiation of and refill persistency for antihypertensives and statins, until the end of 2007 (age 54 years).


RESULTS
Low childhood SEP at age 18 was not associated with prescription fillings of antihypertensives, but was weakly associated with initiation of statins (HR = 1.19 (95% CI 1.00 to1.42)). This estimate was attenuated when IQ was entered into the model (HR=1.10 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.23)). Low childhood SEP was also associated with decreased refill persistency for statins (HR=2.23 (95% CI 1.13 to 4.40)). Thus, the HR for SEP only changed slightly (HR=2.24 (95% CI 1.11 to 4.52)) when IQ was entered into the model, but entering other covariates (education and body mass index in young adulthood and income in midlife) into the model attenuated the HR to 2.04 (95% CI 1.00 to 4.16).


CONCLUSIONS
Low childhood SEP was related to more frequent initiation of and poorer refill persistency for statins. IQ in young adulthood explained most of the association between childhood SEP and initiation of statins, but had no impact on refill persistency.
Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Margit
M
Kriegbaum
Helle Wallach
HW
Kildemoes
Jeppe Nørgaard
JN
Rasmussen
Carsten
C
Hendriksen
Mikkel
M
Vass
Erik Lykke
EL
Mortensen
Merete
M
Osler
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
Epidemiology