title: Influence of the Source of Social Support and Size of Social Network on All-Cause Mortality.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine associations between relative, friend, and partner support, as well as size and source of weekly social network, and mortality risk in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a mail-back survey completed between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 1990, adult participants in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study (N=12,709) answered questions on whether they received social support from relatives, friends, and spouse/partner (yes or no for each) and on the number of friends and relatives they had contact with at least once per week. Participants were followed until December 31, 2003, or until the date of death. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses evaluated the strength of the associations, controlling for covariates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants (3220 [25%] women) averaged 53.0 ± 11.3 years of age at baseline. During a median follow-up of 13.5 years, 1139 deaths occurred. Receiving social support from relatives reduced mortality risk by 19% (hazard ratio [HR], 0.81; 95% CI, 0.68-0.95). Receiving spousal/partner support also reduced mortality risk by 19% (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.66-0.99). Receiving social support from friends was not associated with mortality risk (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.75-1.09); however, participants reporting social contact with 6 or 7 friends on a weekly basis had a 24% lower mortality risk than did those in contact with 0 or 1 friend (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.58-0.98). Contact with 2 to 5 or 8 or more friends was not associated with mortality risk, nor was the number of weekly contacts with relatives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Receiving social support from one's spouse/partner and relatives and maintaining weekly social interaction with 6 to 7 friends reduced mortality risk. Such data may inform interventions to improve long-term survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. Electronic address: Katie_Becofsky@Brown.edu.
authors.forename: Katie M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Becofsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
authors.forename: Robin P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Shook
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
authors.forename: Xuemei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sui
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; Prevention Research Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinical School, University of Queensland School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilcox
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinical School, University of Queensland School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Carl J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lavie
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; Prevention Research Center, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; Department of Epidemiology/Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
authors.forename: Steven N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Blair
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult