The UNC Alumni Heart Study continues to examine the impact of hostility on health behaviors and psychological status at midlife to test the prospective associations of hostility with coronary heart disease (CHD) events and other health outcomes.
The Specific Aims of the proposed research are: [1] To better understand the dynamic interrelationships of psychosocial and behavioral risk factors of the adult life span, we will map the trajectories of hostility, depression, smoking, body mass, exercise patterns, and alcohol consumption using multiple assessments from age 19 to age 60. It is predicted that a significant proportion of the change in risk behavior will be due to trajectories of hostility and depression, operating singly and in combination over time. [2] To test the prospective associations of hostility, depression, and other psychosocial variables (e.g., social support and job strain) with coronary events and mortality observed while the cohort is middle-aged. [3] To broaden the scope of the psychosocial variables to examine individual differences in personality over the life course and dietary practices at midlife in addition to the indicators noted above, and [4] To better understand the effect of gender on the natural history of coronary disease and coronary risk profiles in women, we will monitor changes in menopausal status, and patterns of hormone replacement therapy use among women during midlife and study the associations of these factors with the other risk indicators. In sum, although the literature suggesting that psychosocial factors play a significant role in the etiology of CHD in older samples is convincing, major gaps remain with respect to understanding the associations between psychosocial factors and premature coronary heart disease and mortality during the middle years. Adding additional measures to the present rich data base, places the UNC Alumni Heart Study in an excellent position to help fill these gaps in the next 5 years, as these members of the early Baby Boom Cohort approach age 60.
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