Key result
Higher perceived social support was not associated with incident CHD or CVD, but was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality among women free of baseline CVD (HR 0.95; 95% CI 0.91-0.98).
Why the study?
Social support has been shown to be inversely associated with cardiovascular disease in men, but fewer studies have assessed this relationship in postmenopausal women.
Does higher perceived social support reduce the risk of incident CHD, total CVD, and all-cause mortality in postmenopausal women?
Observational (n=90,772)
Does higher perceived social support reduce the risk of incident CHD, total CVD, and all-cause mortality in postmenopausal women?
Hazard Ratio: 0.95 (95% CI 0.91–0.98)
Higher perceived social support is associated with a modest reduction in all-cause mortality among postmenopausal women without prior CVD, but does not independently reduce the risk of incident CHD or CVD.
Social support was associated with modestly lower mortality in CVD-free postmenopausal women; leaves open effects on incident CHD/CVD.
OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown social support to be inversely associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in men, whereas fewer studies have assessed the relationship in women. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between perceived social support and cardiovascular outcomes among postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. METHODS: We examined the relationships between perceived social support and (1) incident coronary heart disease (CHD), (2) total CVD, and (3) all-cause mortality. Participants were Women's Health Initiative Observational Study women, ages 50 to 79 years, enrolled between 1993 and 1998 and followed for up to 10.8 years. Social support was ascertained at baseline via nine questions measuring the following functional support components: emotional/informational, tangible, positive social interaction, and affectionate support. RESULTS: Among women with prior CVD (n = 17,351) and no prior CVD (n = 73,421), unadjusted hazard ratios ranged from 0.83 to 0.93 per standard deviation increment of social support. Adjustment for potential confounders, such as smoking and physical activity levels, eliminated the statistical significance of the associations with CHD and CVD. However, for all-cause mortality and among women free of baseline CVD, the association was modest but remained statistically significant after this adjustment (hazard ratio = 0.95 [95% confidence interval, 0.91-0.98]). No statistically significant association was observed among women with a history of CVD. CONCLUSIONS: After controlling for potential confounding variables, higher perceived social support is not associated with incident CHD or CVD. However, among women free of CVD at baseline, perceived social support is associated with a slightly lower risk of all-cause mortality.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Freeborne et al. (2019) conducted an observational in postmenopausal women (n=90,772). Perceived social support vs. Lower perceived social support was evaluated on all-cause mortality among women free of baseline CVD (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91-0.98). Higher perceived social support was not associated with incident CHD or CVD, but was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality among women free of baseline CVD (HR 0.95; 95% CI 0.91-0.98).
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: