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Background: There is a need for more Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) to strengthen the evidence base for clinical and policy decision-making. Effectiveness Guidance Documents (EGD) are targeted to clinical researchers. The aim of this EGD is to pr

AIMS: In this paper, we examine income- and education-related inequality in small-for-gestational age (SGA) and preterm birth in Denmark and Finland from 1987 to 2003 using concentration indexes (CIXs). METHODS: From the national medical birth registries we gathered information on all births from 1987 to 2003. Information on highest completed maternal education and household income in the year preceding birth of the offspring was obtained for 1,012,400 births in Denmark and 499,390 in Finland. We then calculated CIXs for income- and education-related inequality in SGA and preterm birth. RESULTS: The mean household income-related inequality in SGA was -0.04 (95% confidence interval: -0.05, -0.04) in Denmark and -0.03 (-0.04, -0.02) in Finland. The maternal education-related inequality in SGA was -0.08 (-0.10, -0.06) in Denmark and -0.07 (-0.08, -0.06) in Finland. The income-related inequality in preterm birth was -0.03 (-0.03, -0.02) in Denmark and -0.03 (-0.04, -0.02) in Finland. The education-related inequality in preterm birth was -0.05 (-0.07, -0.04) in Denmark and -0.04 (-0.05, -0.03) in Finland. In Denmark, the income-related and education-related inequity in SGA increased over time. In Finland, the income-related inequality in SGA birth increased slightly, while education-related inequalities remained stable. Inequalities in preterm birth decreased over time in both countries. CONCLUSIONS: Denmark and Finland are examples of nations with free prenatal care and publicly financed obstetric care of high quality. During the period of study there were macroeconomic shocks affecting both countries. However, only small income- and education-related inequalities in SGA and preterm births during the period were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: We examined associations between several life-course socioeconomic position (SEP) measures (childhood SEP, education, income, occupation) and diabetes incidence from 1965 to 1999 in a sample of 5422 diabetes-free Black and White participants in the Alameda County Study. METHODS: Race-specific Cox proportional hazard models estimated diabetes risk associated with each SEP measure. Demographic confounders (age, gender, marital status) and potential pathway components (physical inactivity, body composition, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, depression, access to health care) were included as covariates. RESULTS: Diabetes incidence was twice as high for Blacks as for Whites. Diabetes risk factors independently increased risk, but effect sizes were greater among Whites. Low childhood SEP elevated risk for both racial groups. Protective effects were suggested for low education and blue-collar occupation among Blacks, but these factors increased risk for Whites. Income was protective for Whites but not Blacks. Covariate adjustment had negligible effects on associations between each SEP measure and diabetes incidence for both racial groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest an important role for life-course SEP measures in determining risk of diabetes, regardless of race and after adjustment for factors that may confound or mediate these associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recognition of the health risks of binge drinking, its life-course precursors have not been widely examined. Data from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (1984-1989) were used to investigate the association between socioeconomic and psychosocial exposures across the life course and binge drinking in a population-based sample of 2,316 middle-aged men. Binge drinking was defined as drinking at least four bottles of beer, one bottle of wine, one bottle of strong wine, or six servings of spirits on a single occasion. A composite indicator of childhood socioeconomic position was based on parental education, occupation, and number of rooms and divided into tertiles. Low childhood socioeconomic position increased the odds of binge drinking (odds ratio = 1.70, 95% confidence interval: 1.26, 2.31) when other early life exposures were adjusted. Additional adjustment of adult socioeconomic and psychosocial factors attenuated the odds of bingeing associated with low childhood socioeconomic position (odds ratio = 1.29, 95% confidence interval: 0.93, 1.79). Adult socioeconomic conditions, marital status, hostility, and organizational membership were independently associated with bingeing. This study shows that both early and later life characteristics including socioeconomic conditions and adult psychosocial factors contribute to adult binge drinking in this population, but the effects of adult characteristics are stronger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous evidence from the Alameda County Study indicated that residential area has an independent effect on risk for mortality, adjusting for a variety of important individual characteristics. The current research examined the effect of poverty area residence on risk for developing depressive symptoms and decline in perceived health status in a sample of 1737.Methods: Data were from a longitudinal population-based cohort. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used.Results: Age- and sex-adjusted risk for incident high levels of depressive symptoms in 1974 was higher for poverty area residents (odds ratio [OR] 2.14; confidence interval [CI]: 1.49-3.06). Those reporting excellent/good health in 1965 were at higher risk for having fair/poor health in 1974 if they lived in a poverty area (age- and sex-adjusted OR 3.30; CI: 2.32-4.71). Independent of individual income, education, smoking status, body mass index, and alcohol consumption, poverty area residence remained associated with change in outcome variables.Conclusion: These results further support the hypothesis that characteristics of place affect health conditions and health status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts to explain socioeconomic inequalities in health have often made reference to the observation that poor health behaviours and psychosocial characteristics cluster in low socioeconomic status (SES) groups. Causal interpretation of the association between SES, health behaviour, psychosocial orientations, and health inequalities has been hampered because these factors and SES have usually been measured at the same point in time. Data from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study were used to examine the associations between measures of SES reflecting different stages of the lifecourse, health behaviours, and psychosocial characteristics in adulthood in a population-based study of 2674 middle-aged Finnish men. Results show that many adult behaviours and psychosocial dispositions detrimental to health are consistently related to poor childhood conditions, low levels of education, and blue-collar employment. Poor adult health behaviours and psychosocial characteristics were more prevalent among men whose parents were poor. Increases in income inequality which place children into low SES conditions may well produce a negative behavioural and psychosocial health dividend to be reaped in the future. Understanding that adult health behaviour and psychosocial orientations are associated with socioeconomic conditions throughout the lifecourse implies that efforts to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in health must recognize that economic policy is public health policy. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether the association between workplace conditions and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and acute myocardial infarction differed by socioeconomic status. METHODS: Prospective data were used to examine these associations in 2297 Finnish men, with adjustment for prevalent diseases and biological, behavioral, and psychosocial covariates, and stratified by employment status and workplace social support. RESULTS: Elevated age-adjusted relative hazards for all-cause mortality were found for men who reported high demands, low resources, and low income; high demands, high resources, and low income; and low demands, high resources, and low income. Similar patterns were found for cardiovascular mortality. In contrast, elevated age-adjusted relative hazards for acute myocardial infarction were observed only in men who reported high demands, low resources, and low income. These results did not differ by level of workplace social support or employment status. CONCLUSIONS: The negative effects of workplace conditions on mortality and of myocardial infarction risk depended on income level and were largely mediated by known risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin resistance or compensatory hyperinsulinemia has been associated with hypertension and dyslipidemia in cross-sectional studies. In contrast, evidence from prospective population-based studies, which could establish the time order of the relationship, is sparse and inconsistent. Therefore, we investigated the associations of hyperinsulinemia with the incidence of hypertension and dyslipidemia in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, a population-based 4-year follow-up study of middle-aged men from eastern Finland. Out of 975 men who had no diabetes, 543 had resting systolic blood pressure (sBP) of < 165 mmHg and resting diastolic blood pressure (dBP) of < 95 mmHg at baseline and were not taking antihypertensive medication, and 764 had serum triglycerides of < 2.3 mmol/l and HDL cholesterol of > or =1.0 mmol/l at baseline. In logistic regression models adjusted for age, baseline resting blood pressure, baseline lipids, obesity, weight change, and other risk factors, men with hyperinsulinemia (fasting insulin in the highest quintile, > or =12.0 mU/l) at baseline had a 2.0-fold (95% CI 1.1-3.5, P = 0.025) incidence of hypertension (sBP of > or =165 or dBP of > or =95 mmHg), a 2.1-fold (95% CI 1.3-3.4, P = 0.002) incidence of dyslipidemia (serum HDL cholesterol of < 1.0 mmol/l or serum triglycerides of > or =2.3 mmol/l), and a 2.6-fold (95% CI 1.1-6.3, P = 0.028) incidence of the combination of these disorders in 4 years, compared with normoinsulinemic men. These findings demonstrate the role of hyperinsulinemia in incident hypertension and dyslipidemia and suggest that both hypertension and dyslipidemia are associated with insulin metabolism disturbance, independently of obesity and body weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: Hearing loss is increasingly common among older persons and is negatively associated with health and well-being. Its impact on spouses, however, is poorly researched. This study analyzed the relationship between a spouse's self-assessed hearing loss and his or her partner's physical, psychological, and social well-being 5 years later. METHODS: Subjects were 418 older married couples from the Alameda County Study. Hearing loss and adjustment variables were assessed in 1994 and outcomes in 1999. Longitudinal analyses included multivariate statistical models using generalized estimating equations to adjust for paired data and partners' hearing loss, age, gender, chronic conditions, and financial problems. RESULTS: Spouse hearing loss increased the likelihood of subsequent poorer physical, psychological, and social well-being in partners. The negative impact of husbands' hearing loss on wives' well-being appears stronger than the reverse. DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that early diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss constitute important clinical strategies to enhance the well-being of both hearing-impaired individuals and their spouses and support policy change to cover hearing devices by insurance. Further research incorporating theoretical perspectives from communication theory and qualitative methodology would enhance understanding of how hearing loss impacts older couples and support refinement of interventions to promote quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data on symptoms of major depressive episodes were examined for the 1994 cohort (n = 2,417) of the Alameda County Study (mean age = 65). In addition to age, we examined gender, education, marital status, social isolation and social support, perceived physical and mental health, chronic medical conditions, functional impairment, life events, financial strain, and neighborhood quality. The point prevalence of symptoms of major depressive episodes was 6.6 percent for men and 10.1 percent for women, with a trend for prevalence to increase with age. When the effects of the other psychosocial risk factors were controlled, there were no significant age effects. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that apparent initial age effects were due almost entirely to chronic health problems and functional impairment. The implications are clear: Healthy, normal-functioning older adults are at no greater risk of depression than younger adults. Apparent age-related effects on depression are attributable to physical health problems and related disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although religiosity is protective for mortality and morbidity, its relationship with depression is unclear. We used the 1994 Alameda County Study survey of 2,537 subjects aged 50-102 to analyze associations between two forms of religiosity and depression as well as the extent to which religiosity buffers relationships between stressors and depression. Non-organizational religiosity included prayer and importance of religious and spiritual beliefs; organizational religiosity included attendance at services and other activities. Non-organizational religiosity had no association with depression; organizational religiosity had a negative relationship that weakened slightly with the addition of health controls. Both forms of religiosity buffered associations with depression for non-family stressors, such as financial and health problems. However, non-organizational religiosity exacerbated associations with depression for child problems, and organizational religiosity exacerbated associations with depression for marital problems, abuse, and caregiving. Religiosity may help those experiencing non-family stressors, but may worsen matters for those facing family crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Self-esteem is considered to be importantly associated with both psychosocial states such as depression as well as physical health. There are no population-based studies that examine the association between self-esteem and mortality. The objective of this study was to assess whether low self-esteem was prospectively associated with increased risk of death in a population-based sample of Finnish men.Methods: A sample of 2682 male residents of Kuopio, Finland were interviewed and followed prospectively as part of the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD). Characteristics of the KIHD sample at baseline included self-esteem, measured by the Rosenberg ten-item scale, socioeconomic factors, behavioral risk factors, other psychosocial characteristics, and prevalent diseases. Mortality was ascertained through linkage to the Finnish national death registry. We assessed the relationship between self-esteem and all-cause mortality using Cox proportional hazards models.Results: Low self-esteem was associated with a two-fold [hazard ratio (HR)=2.0, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.3-3.2] increase in age-adjusted mortality. This relationship was partially explained by behavioral and socioeconomic factors, and prevalent diseases, and fully explained by other psychosocial characteristics (hopelessness, depression, cynical hostility, and sullenness). When adjusted for hopelessness alone there was no increased risk associated with low self-esteem (HR=1.3, 95% CI=0.8-2.2).Conclusions: This study found no association between self-esteem and all-cause mortality after adjustment for other psychosocial characteristics, primarily hopelessness. Our understanding of the observed relationships between some psychosocial factors and mortality may be improved by simultaneous measurement of multiple psychosocial domains, thus diminishing the potential for residual confounding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To describe national- and county-level trends and variation in a novel measure of hope. Methods. Using data from the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index (n = 2 766 728), we summarized the difference between anticipated life satisfaction (ALS) and current life satisfaction (CLS), measured by the Cantril Self-Anchoring Scale, for each year from 2008 to 2020 and by county over two 5-year periods in the United States. Results. Across all years, there was a significant positive trend in the difference between ALS and CLS for the nation ( P  = .024), which remained positive but not significant when we excluded 2020. Maintenance of ALS with a decrease in CLS drove the 2020 increase. From 2008-2012 to 2013-2017, 14.5% of counties with 300 or more responses (n = 599) experienced an increase in the difference of more than 1 SD, whereas 13.9% experienced a more than 1 SD decrease. Fifty-two counties experienced decreases in ALS and CLS. Conclusions. Responding to trends in the gap between ALS and CLS at national and local levels is essential for the collective well-being of our nation, especially as we navigate and emerge from crisis.

Previous cross-sectional studies examining whether John Henryism (JH), or high-effort coping with socioeconomic adversity, potentiates the inverse association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and cardiovascular health have focused mainly on hypertension in African Americans. We conducted the first longitudinal test of this hypothesis on incident acute myocardial infarction (AMI) using data from the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study in Finland (N = 1405 men, 42-60 years). We hypothesized that the expected inverse gradient between SEP and AMI risk would be stronger for men scoring high on JH than for those scoring low. John Henryism was measured by a Finnish version of the JH Scale for Active Coping. Four different measures of SEP were used: childhood SEP, education, income, and occupation. AMI hazard ratios (HR) by SEP and JH were estimated using COX proportional hazard models, before and after adjustment for study covariates. 205 cases of AMI occurred over a median of 14.9 years. Men employed in lower rank (farmer, blue-collar) occupations who scored high on JH had significantly higher age-adjusted risks of AMI than men in higher rank (white-collar) occupations (HR = 3.14, 95% CI: 1.65-5.98 for blue collar; HR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.04-5.22 for farmers) who also scored high on JH. No socioeconomic differences in AMI were observed for men who scored low on JH (HR = 1.36, 95% CI: 0.74-2.47 for blue collar; HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.59-1.48 for farmers; p = 0.002 for the SEP × JH interaction). These findings persisted after adjustment for sociodemographic, behavioral, and biological factors. Results for other SEP measures were in the same direction, but did not reach statistical significance. Repetitive high-effort coping with adversity (John Henryism) was independently associated with increased risk for AMI in Finnish men, underscoring the potential relevance of the John Henryism hypothesis to CVD outcomes other than hypertension and to populations other than African Americans., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Multiple approaches that can contribute to reducing obesity have been proposed. These policies may share overlapping pathways, and may have unanticipated consequences, creating considerable complexity. Aiming to illuminate the use of agent-based models to explore the consequences of key policies, this paper simulates the effects of increasing neighbourhood availability of good food stores, physical activity infrastructure and higher school quality on the reduction of black/white disparities in body mass index (BMI) in the USA., Methods: We used an agent-based model, with parameters derived from the empirical literature, which included individual and neighbourhood characteristics over the life course as determinants of behaviours thought to impact BMI. We systematically varied the strength of the 3 policy interventions, examining the impact of 125 different policy scenarios on black/white BMI disparities., Results: In the absence of any of these policies, black/white BMI disparities generally increased over time. However, we found that some combinations of these policies resulted in reductions in BMI, yielding decreases in the black/white BMI disparity as large as a 90%., Conclusions: Within the structure of relationships captured in this simulation model, there is support for the further use of agent-based simulation models to explore upstream policies as plausible candidates for the reduction of black/white disparities in BMI. These results highlight the potential insights into important public health problems, such as obesity, that can come from uniting the systems science approach with policy analysis., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/)

Depression and hopelessness predict myocardial infarction, but it is unclear whether depression and hopelessness are independent predictors of myocardial infarction incidents. Hopelessness, depression, and myocardial infarction incidence rate 18 years later were measured in 2005 men. Cox regressions were conducted with hopelessness and depression serving as individual predictors of myocardial infarction. Another Cox model examined whether the two predictors predict myocardial infarction when adjusting for each other. Depression and hopelessness predicted myocardial infarction in independent regressions, but when adjusting for each other, hopelessness, but not depression, predicted myocardial infarction incidents. Thus, these results suggest that depression and hopelessness are not independent predictors of myocardial infarction., (© The Author(s) 2013.)

Purpose: Understanding how to mitigate the present black-white obesity disparity in the United States is a complex issue, stemming from a multitude of intertwined causes. An appropriate but underused approach to guiding policy approaches to this problem is to account for this complexity using simulation modeling., Methods: We explored the efficacy of a policy that improved the quality of neighborhood schools in reducing racial disparities in obesity-related behavior and the dependence of this effect on social network influence and norms. We used an empirically grounded agent-based model to generate simulation experiments. We used a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design that represented the presence or absence of improved neighborhood school quality, the presence or absence of social influence, and the type of social norm (healthy or unhealthy). Analyses focused on time trends in sociodemographic variables and diet quality., Results: First, the quality of schools and social network influence had independent and interactive effects on diet behavior. Second, the black-white disparity in diet behavior was considerably reduced under some conditions, but never completely eliminated. Third, the degree to which the disparity in diet behavior was reduced was a function of the type of social norm that was in place; the reduction was the smallest when the type of social norm was healthy., Conclusions: Improving school quality can reduce, but not eliminate racial disparities in obesity-related behavior, and the degree to which this is true depends partly on social network effects., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is a need for more Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) to strengthen the evidence base for clinical and policy decision-making. Effectiveness Guidance Documents (EGD) are targeted to clinical researchers. The aim of this EGD is to provide specific recommendations for the design of prospective acupuncture studies to support optimal use of resources for generating evidence that will inform stakeholder decision-making., Methods: Document development based on multiple systematic consensus procedures (written Delphi rounds, interactive consensus workshop, international expert review). To balance aspects of internal and external validity, multiple stakeholders including patients, clinicians and payers were involved., Results: Recommendations focused mainly on randomized studies and were developed for the following areas: overall research strategy, treatment protocol, expertise and setting, outcomes, study design and statistical analyses, economic evaluation, and publication., Conclusion: The present EGD, based on an international consensus developed with multiple stakeholder involvement, provides the first systematic methodological guidance for future CER on acupuncture.

Hostility may be related to risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as blood pressure. However, the process by which hostility affects blood pressure is not fully understood. The current study sought to evaluate abdominal obesity (waist-to-hip ratio [WHR]) as a potential mediator and modifier of the relationship between cynical hostility and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in a group of disadvantaged women. Path analysis and multiple regression models were used to identify mediating and moderating pathways in the relationship between cynical hostility and SBP. Results indicate a significant interaction between WHR and cynical hostility. WHR was a partial mediator and significant moderator of the association between hostility and blood pressure. These findings highlight the potential importance of examining abdominal obesity and psychosocial factors as conjunctive determinants of CVD and risk factors for related metabolic conditions.

Context: This article explores the relationship between metropolitan fragmentation, as defined by the total number of governmental units within a metropolitan statistical area (local municipalities, special service districts, and school districts), and racial disparities in mortality among blacks and whites in the 1990s. The presence of numerous governmental jurisdictions in large metropolitan areas in the United States can shape the geography of opportunity, with adverse consequences for health., Methods: We conducted a regression analysis using U.S. Census of Government data and Compressed Mortality File data for the country's largest 171 metropolitan statistical areas., Findings: We found a link between increased metropolitan area fragmentation and greater racial differences in mortality between blacks and whites for both children and working-age adults. Although increasing fragmentation is associated with a higher mortality rate for blacks, it is not associated with a higher mortality rate for whites. These findings suggest that research is needed to understand how governance can positively or negatively influence a population's health and create conditions that generate or exacerbate health disparities., Conclusions: We need to understand the extent to which metropolitan fragmentation contributes to racial segregation, whether racism contributes to both, and the role of poverty and antipoverty policies in reducing or exacerbating the consequences of metropolitan fragmentation. The exact pathways by which metropolitan fragmentation contributes to differences between blacks' and whites' mortality rates are unknown. Uncovering how institutions influence the social, economic, and environmental conditions, which in turn contribute to the current racial and ethnic health disparities in the largest metropolitan areas, is key. Understanding these "upstream" determinants of a population's health and the disparities in health between subgroups in the overall population must be at the core of any attempt to reduce disparities in health. Building bridges between urban planning and public health can be critical to these efforts., (© 2012 Milbank Memorial Fund.)

Feelings of hopelessness are prospectively associated with increased risk of death, progression of atherosclerosis and other health outcomes. Places as well as people may promote a sense of hopelessness. We used the Chicago Community Adult Health Study to investigate whether feelings of hopelessness cluster at the neighborhood level. Random-intercept logistic models were used to examine associations of hopelessness with neighborhood conditions (physical disorder and decay, perceived violence and disorder, social cohesion) and census-based measures of neighborhood socioeconomic conditions (poverty, unemployment, % high school dropouts) from 1980-2000. Of the 3074 participants, 459 were categorized as experiencing hopelessness. Greater physical disorder and perceived disorder and a higher unemployment rate were associated with increased odds of hopelessness. Individuals' reports of hopelessness reflect physical, socioeconomic, and opportunity characteristics of their neighborhoods above and beyond their individual characteristics. Changing opportunity structures in a neighborhood may play a key role in reducing individuals' feelings of hopelessness., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Economic crises can have important effects on a wide variety of determinants of individual and population health, and these effects may be played out over the life course. However, social and economic policies have the potential to mitigate at least some of the potential negative health effects of economic crises, and the substantial variation in these policies across countries suggests that the impact of economic crises may vary between countries. We know much less about this than we need to. Only with expanded efforts to provide a true accounting of the health costs of economic crises, and of the ways in which social and economic policies can reduce these costs, can we prepare ourselves to protect population health when the next economic crises happen, which they surely will.

Background: Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is hypothesized to be an important pathway linking socioeconomic position and chronic disease., Purpose: This paper tests the association between education and the diurnal rhythm of salivary cortisol., Methods: Up to eight measures of cortisol (mean of 5.38 per respondent) over 2 days were obtained from 311 respondents, aged 18-70, drawn from the 2001-2002 Chicago Community Adult Health Study. Multi-level models with linear splines were used to estimate waking level, rates of cortisol decline, and area-under-the-curve over the day, by categories of education., Results: Lower education (0-11 years) was associated with lower waking levels of cortisol, but not the rate of decline of cortisol, resulting in a higher area-under-the-curve for more educated respondents throughout the day., Conclusions: This study found evidence of lower cortisol exposure among individuals with less education and thus does not support the hypothesis that less education is associated with chronic over-exposure to cortisol.

Background: Literature on the socio-economic 'gradient' in health often asserts that income is associated with better health not only for the very poor, but also across the entire income distribution. In addition, changes in the shape of the association between incomes during a period of increasing economic inequality have not been previously studied. The goal of the current study was to estimate and compare the shape of the relationship between income and mortality in the USA for the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s., Methods: Using income and mortality data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics for respondents aged 35-64 years, we used a Bayesian Cox Model with regression splines to model the risk of mortality over three 10-year follow-up periods. To identify whether income was more strongly associated with mortality at different parts of the income distribution, we treated income as a linear spline with an unknown knot location., Results: The shape of the association between income and mortality was quite non-linear, with a much stronger association at lower levels of income. The relationship between income and mortality in the USA was also not invariant across time, with the increased risk of death associated with lower income applying to an increasing proportion of the US population over time (9th percentile of income in 1970-79, 20th percentile in 1980-89 and 32nd percentile in 1990-99)., Conclusions: Our analyses do not support the claim that income is associated with mortality throughout the income distribution, nor is the association between income and mortality the same across periods. Based on our analyses, a focus on the bottom 30% of the income distribution would seem to return the greatest benefits in reducing socio-economic inequalities in health.

Objective: Only a few cross-sectional studies have assessed the association between coffee, tea and caffeine and the risk of depression. Our aim was to determine the association in a population-based cohort study., Design: The population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study cohort was recruited between 1984 and 1989 and followed until the end of 2006. We investigated the association between the intake of coffee, tea and caffeine and depression., Setting: Eastern Finland., Subjects: Middle-aged men (n 2232)., Results: Altogether, forty-nine men received a discharge diagnosis of depression. We classified subjects into quartiles according to their mean daily coffee intake: non-drinkers (n 82), light drinkers (<375 ml/d, n 517), moderate drinkers (375-813 ml/d, n 1243) and heavy drinkers (>813 ml/d, n 390). Heavy drinkers had a decreased risk (RR = 0.28, 95 % CI 0.08, 0.98) for depression when compared with non-drinkers, after adjustment for age and examination years. Further adjustment for socio-economic status, alcohol consumption, smoking, maximal oxygen uptake, BMI and the energy-adjusted daily intakes of folate and PUFA did not attenuate this association (relative risk (RR) = 0.23, 95 % CI 0.06, 0.83). No associations were observed between depression and intake of tea (drinkers v. non-drinkers; RR = 1.19, 95 % CI 0.54, 2.23) or caffeine (highest quartile v. lowest quartile; RR = 0.99, 95 % CI 0.40, 2.45)., Conclusions: Coffee consumption may decrease the risk of depression, whereas no association was found for tea and caffeine intake.

Depression and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are closely associated, but the mechanisms underlying this connection are unclear. Regardless of the low cholesterol levels observed in depression, a small particle size of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), as well as elevated apolipoprotein B (ApoB) levels, are related to increased CVD risk, even when levels of LDL cholesterol are low. We examined the association between elevated depressive symptoms and compositional changes in serum LDL particles in a sample of 2,456 middle-aged Finnish men. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the 18-item Human Population Laboratory Depression Scale, and the study population was divided into two groups (elevated depressive symptoms, n = 269; non-depressed, n = 2,187). The levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), and ApoB were determined. The LDL-C/ApoB ratio, a marker of compositional changes in LDL particle size, was calculated. The group with elevated depressive symptoms had lowered levels of serum TC (P = 0.028) and LDL-C (P = 0.008). No differences were observed in the LDL-C/ApoB ratio. The likelihood for belonging to the group with elevated depressive symptoms increased 10% for each 0.5 mmol/l decrease in the levels of TC (P = 0.002) or LDL-C (P = 0.001) in regression models adjusted for age, examination years, marital and socioeconomic status, energy expenditure, body mass index, CVD history, alcohol consumption, smoking, and the use of lipid-lowering, antidepressant and antipsychotic medications. Our findings suggest that greater small-particle LDL levels are not associated with depression, and are thus unlikely to underlie the association between cardiovascular risk and depression.

Background: Health disparities have been associated with the prevalence of cardiovascular disease. In cardiac surgery, association has been found between race, sex, and poorer prognosis after surgery. However, there is a complex interplay between race, sex, and socioeconomic position (SEP). In our investigation we sought to identify which of these was the driver of risk-adjusted survival., Methods and Results: From January 1, 1995, and December 30, 2005, 23 330 patients (15 156 white men, 6932 white women, 678 black men, and 564 black women) underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting, valve, or combined coronary artery bypass grafting and valve procedures. Median follow-up was 5.8 years (25th and 75th percentiles: 3 and 8.6 years). Effect of race, sex, and SEP on all-cause mortality was examined with 2-phase Cox model and generalized propensity score technique. As expected, blacks and women had lower SEP as compared with whites and men for all 6 SEP indicators. Patients with lower SEP had more atherosclerotic disease burden, more comorbidity, and were more symptomatic. Lower SEP was associated with a risk-adjusted dose-dependent reduction in survival after surgery (men, P<0.0001; women, P=0.0079), but black race, once adjusted for SEP, was not., Conclusions: Our large investigation demonstrates that disparities in SEP are present and significantly affect health outcomes. Although race per se was not the driver for reduced survival, patients of low SEP were predominantly represented by blacks and women. Socioeconomically disadvantaged patients had significantly higher risk-adjusted mortality after surgery. Further investigation and targeted intervention should focus specifically on patients of low SEP, their health behaviors, and secondary prevention efforts.