Biomedical subjects

Hans Bosma

Publications and source records attributed to Hans Bosma.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Material and behavioral factors in the explanation of educational differences in incidence of acute myocardial infarction: the Globe study.

PURPOSE: To quantify the contribution of material and behavioral factors to educational differences in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), taking into account their interrelationship. METHODS: Self-reported information about educational level, behavioral factors (alcohol, smoking, physical inactivity, and obesity), and material factors (housing conditions, crowding, employment status, financial problems, and an income proxy) was obtained from 45 to 74 year old responders to the baseline measurement of the Dutch prospective GLOBE-study in 1991 (n = 9872). Incidence of AMI in study participants was determined by hospital admissions due to AMI between 1991 and 1998. RESULTS: The increased hazard ratio of AMI in the lowest compared to the highest educational group [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.85, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.19; 2.88] decreased by 60% after adjustment for all four behavioral factors. Similarly, adjustment for housing conditions, employment status and the income proxy reduced the hazard ratio by 76%. Thirty-six percent of the contribution of behavioral factors to educational differences in AMI in the lowest compared to the highest educational group was the result of more often living in worse material circumstances in the first group. CONCLUSIONS: Material factors contribute more to educational differences in incidence of AMI than behavioral factors. Improving material circumstances in lower educational groups may form an important strategy in the reduction of inequalities in AMI, partly because of its influence on unhealthy behavior.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Hostility and the educational gradient in health. The mediating role of health-related behaviours.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to study hostility as a factor intermediate in the association between educational level and health. METHODS: 1997 cross-sectional data from the Dutch GLOBE study (1675 men and 1819 women) was used. The analyses distinguishes between direct effects of hostility on health, and indirect effects, which are through health-related behaviours. The latter indicates that hostile people may be at risk of adverse health, because they engage in unhealthy behaviours. Data were analysed with logistic regression techniques. RESULTS: Among men and women, the odds of less than good health was higher in lower educational groups. A substantial part of the educational gradient in health could be ascribed to the intermediate effects of hostility. Among both men and women, the direct effects of hostility were more important than indirect effects. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that interventions should be aimed at the prevention of the development of hostility. Additionally, interventions aimed at the reduction of health damaging behaviours among adults may lead to a reduction of socio-economic inequalities in health.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Neuroticism does not affect cognitive functioning in later life.

In a cross-sectional study, Jorm and colleagues (1993. Personality and Individual Differences, 15, 721-723) found that neuroticism was related to poorer cognitive performance in the elderly. The present study was initiated to expand their findings using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the Maastricht Aging Study. In contrast to the findings of Jorm and coworkers, neuroticism was not associated with either current cognitive performance or cognitive decline over a period of 3 years.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Mental work demands protect against cognitive impairment: MAAS prospective cohort study.

Little is known about whether persons with mentally demanding jobs are protected against cognitive impairment and whether this association is independent of intellectual abilities and other confounders. Longitudinal data from the Maastricht Aging Study (MAAS) were used to examine this association. After the 1993-1995 baseline examination, there was a first 3-year follow-up examination (1996-1998) among 630 men and women, aged 50 to 80, who exhibited no cognitive impairment at baseline. Persons with mentally demanding jobs had lower risks of developing cognitive impairment during follow-up (36 cases), compared with persons without such jobs (odds ratio = 0.79; 95% confidence interval: 0.65-0.96). About 1.5% of the persons with high mental work demands developed impairment compared to 4% of the persons with few work demands. The protective effect was independent of intellectual abilities and other confounders. Our findings provide evidence that continued and potentially modifiable mental stimulation during adult life may protect men and women against cognitive impairment.

Aged↗