Biomedical subjects

Michael G Marmot

Publications and source records attributed to Michael G Marmot.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

The influence of economic development on the association between education and the risk of acute myocardial infarction and stroke.

Rates of myocardial infarction and stroke increase as countries "develop." These disorders emerge among higher socio-economic groups, but once "developed," most events occur in lower socio-economic groups. We evaluated the association between education as a measure of socio-economic status and risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke in regions at various stages of development and between stroke risk and life expectancy. The study comprised 2,478 cases of AMI or stroke and 6,819 controls among women aged 19-49, from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Compared to those with high educational attainment, stroke risk was reduced among less educated women in Africa, but was significantly higher in the other three regions. Low education was associated with increased risk of AMI in Eastern Europe but not in the other three regions combined. Educationally related stroke risk was positively correlated with national life expectancy.

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PubMed2002

Can cardiovascular risk factors explain the association between education and cardiovascular disease in young women?

We sought to explain the observed variation in the relationship between education and cardiovascular disease (CVD) among young women in countries at different stages of economic development. Data comprised 2,478 cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or stroke and 6,819 age-matched controls from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. The risks of AMI associated with lower education observed in Eastern Europe and higher education in non-European countries were reduced by 92% in Eastern Europe and totally abolished in non-European countries by adjustment for standard cardiovascular risk factors. The inverse associations between education and stroke risk in the three non-African regions were attenuated by 22, 47, and 60% after adjustment. In Africa, the slight inconsistent trend towards lower stroke risk in less well educated women was unaffected by adjustment. These data suggest that standard risk factors explain a substantial proportion if not all of the difference in AMI risk associated with education but a lesser proportion of educationally linked stroke risk.

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PubMed2002

Psychological distress as a risk factor for coronary heart disease in the Whitehall II Study.

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric disorder and psychological distress are increasingly recognized as risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). Elucidation of the mechanisms of these associations has implications for prevention. This study aims to confirm the association between psychological distress and CHD and examine if it could be explained by other factors such as health behaviours, social isolation and low control at work. METHODS: A prospective occupational cohort study of London-based civil service employees (Whitehall II Study) with baseline data collected from 1985-1988 with a 5-year follow-up. The participants were male and female middle-aged civil servants working in 20 Government Departments; 73% of eligible employees attended baseline screening. Psychological distress measured by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) at baseline was used to predict incidence of self-reported CHD and possible and probable electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities during follow-up. RESULTS: In men, baseline psychological distress was associated with an increased incidence of overall self-reported CHD (odds ratios [OR] = 1.83, 95% CI : 1.5-2.3) and ECG abnormalities (OR = 1.51, 95% CI : 1.1-2.1), after adjustment for age, employment grade and length of follow-up. In women, baseline psychological distress was also associated with an increased incidence of CHD (OR = 1.60, 95% CI : 1.2-2.1), but not with ECG abnormalities. Adjustment for health behaviours, marital status, social networks and work characteristics reduced the risks for incident CHD by 12% in men and by 10% in women; for ECG abnormalities these adjustments increased the risk in men by 16% and had little effect in women. CONCLUSIONS: The experience of psychological distress confers increased risk of CHD in men that is not explained by health behaviours, social isolation or work characteristics. The increased risk of CHD associated with psychological distress is not consistently demonstrated in women.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Does subjective social status predict health and change in health status better than objective status?

OBJECTIVE: To examine, among middle-aged individuals, if subjective socioeconomic status (SES) predicts health status and change in health status over time better than objective SES. METHODS: Data are from the Whitehall II study, a prospective study of British civil servants. SES data are drawn from Phase 5 (1997-1999) of the study and health data from Phases 5 and 6 (2000-2001). Physical and mental component scores from the Short Form 36, the General Health Questionnaire, and self-rated health were used to assess health status. Multiple linear regressions were used to examine the relationship between SES and health and change in health status. RESULTS: Complete data were available on 5486 people. Results show both measures of SES to be global measures of SES. Both measures of SES were significantly associated with health outcomes and with decline in health status over time. However, when both objective and subjective measures of SES are entered simultaneously in the model to predict change in health status, it was only the latter that continues to be significantly associated with health and changes in health. CONCLUSIONS: Subjective SES is a better predictor of health status and decline in health status over time in middle-aged adults. These results are discussed in terms of three possible explanations: subjective SES is a more precise measure of social position, the results provide support for the hierarchy-health hypothesis, and the results could be an artifact of common method variance.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Why is evidence on job strain and coronary heart disease mixed? An illustration of measurement challenges in the Whitehall II study.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence regarding the status of job strain as a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) is mixed, including both results supporting the risk status and null findings. However, previous studies have typically assessed job strain at one point in time only. We examined whether the failure of such measurement to reflect long-term job strain could contribute to false null findings. METHODS: Job strain and its components, as stress indicators, were assessed twice (3-year time lag) for 5043 men and 2210 women who were free of apparent CHD at baseline. Incident CHD after the stress measurement comprised CHD death, a first nonfatal myocardial infarction, or definite angina (mean follow-up, 10.4 years). The data analysis was based on Cox proportional-hazard models adjusted for age, sex, and employment grade and corrected using regression dilution ratios calculated from short-term repeat data in a random subsample. RESULTS: In the total cohort, incidence of new CHD was higher for higher levels of job strain and demands. For these stress indicators, the corrected excess CHD risk was 30% and 29% higher than the corresponding uncorrected estimates, whereas the corresponding increase for job control was only 13%. Effects of job strain and work demands, but not job control, were stronger for a subgroup, with consistent exposure measurements over time than for the total cohort. CONCLUSION: This evidence suggests that use of single-time exposure measures may underestimate the status of long-term job strain as a CHD risk factor.

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