Key result
A standard deviation increase in well-being score was associated with a decreased risk of incident arthritis (HR 0.89) and, in adults younger than 65, decreased risks of diabetes and chronic lung disease.
Why the study?
Does higher well-being reduce the incidence of chronic diseases in adults aged 50 and older?
Cohort (n=8,182)
Does higher well-being reduce the incidence of chronic diseases in adults aged 50 and older?
Hazard Ratio: 0.89 (95% CI 0.83–0.96)
p-value: p=<0.05
Higher subjective well-being is associated with a reduced risk of incident arthritis, and in younger older adults, a reduced risk of diabetes and chronic lung disease, but not cancer, stroke, or myocardial infarction after adjusting for established risk factors.
Should not yet change practice to target well-being; hypothesis-generating for reduced arthritis, diabetes, and lung disease risks in adults under 65.
BACKGROUND: Previous research suggests that greater well-being may protect against onset of chronic disease. However, it is unclear whether this association is similar across different types of disease. METHOD: We used Cox proportional hazards regression to examine the prospective relationship between well-being (measured using the CASP-19 quality of life questionnaire) and incidence of arthritis, cancer, stroke, diabetes, myocardial infarction, and chronic lung disease over 8 years. The sample consisted of 8182 participants 50 years or older from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. RESULTS: After adjustments for established risk factors, a standard deviation increase in CASP-19 score was associated with a decrease in arthritis risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.83-0.96) and, in those younger than 65 years, a decrease in diabetes risk (HR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.70-0.95) and chronic lung disease risk (HR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.66-0.97). Higher CASP-19 scores were associated with reduced risk for stroke and myocardial infarction; however, these associations were no longer significant after adjustments for established risk factors. No association was observed for cancer incidence. An age interaction was observed for diabetes, myocardial infarction, and chronic lung disease, with a stronger association between CASP-19 score and disease incidence at younger ages. CONCLUSIONS: The extent of association between well-being and incident disease risk is not consistent across different chronic diseases. Future studies should examine the cause of this variation.
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Okely et al. (2015) conducted a cohort in Chronic disease incidence (n=8,182). Subjective well-being (CASP-19 score) vs. Lower well-being was evaluated on Incidence of arthritis (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.83-0.96, p=<0.05). A standard deviation increase in well-being score was associated with a decreased risk of incident arthritis (HR 0.89) and, in adults younger than 65, decreased risks of diabetes and chronic lung disease.
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