Key result
Having five or more children was associated with an increased risk of incident heart disease in women compared to having one to two children (HR 1.13; 95% CI 1.03-1.25).
Why the study?
To examine the association between the number of children birthed or fathered and incident heart disease, accounting for socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics.
Does the number of children birthed/fathered affect the risk of incident heart disease in older adults?
Cohort (n=24,923)
Does the number of children birthed/fathered affect the risk of incident heart disease in older adults?
Having five or more children is associated with a modestly increased risk of incident heart disease in older women, while the association in men appears largely mediated by socioeconomic and lifestyle factors.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Hypothesis-generating for high parity in women; prospective studies needed before any clinical consideration.
Objective: To examine the association of number of children birthed/fathered with incident heart disease, accounting for socioeconomic and lifestyle characteristics. Methods: We analyzed data from 24,923 adults 50 and older (55% women) in the Health and Retirement Study. Participants self-reported number of children and doctor-diagnosed incident heart disease. Cox proportional hazards models estimated heart disease risk. Results: Compared to women with one to two children, those with five or more had increased risk of heart disease (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.03, 1.25]). Compared to men with one to two children, those with five or more had a marginally increased risk of heart disease (HR = 1.11, 95% CI = [0.99, 1.25]), but this association attenuated in models adjusting for socioeconomic and lifestyle variables. Compared to men with no children, those with five or more retained a borderline significant association in the fully adjusted model (HR = 1.15, 95% CI = [0.99, 1.35]). Discussion: Social and lifestyle pathways appear to link parenthood to cardiovascular health.
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Hipp et al. (2019) conducted a cohort in Incident heart disease (n=24,923). Having five or more children vs. Having one to two children was evaluated on Incident heart disease (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.03-1.25). Having five or more children was associated with an increased risk of incident heart disease in women compared to having one to two children (HR 1.13; 95% CI 1.03-1.25).
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