Social mobility by marriage and risk of cardiovascular disease among adults in Southwestern Poland.

BACKGROUND

The social position of a husband or wife can influence the health status of the individual and his/her partner. Also, social position can change over time as a result of education, job, income, marriage and/or divorce.

AIM

To examine the association of mobility by marriage based on educational discrepancy between spouses and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Polish men and women of 40-50 years of age.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The sample included 394 married men and 453 married women of 40-50 years of age. All were residents of Wrocław located in southwestern Poland. Risk of CVD was assessed with the Framingham Risk Score (FRS). The sex-specific effect of social mobility on CVD risk (FRS) was tested by multiple regression analyses.

RESULTS

Among Polish married men and women, social mobility by marriage had a significant association with risk of CVD. Downwardly mobile men and women had a higher risk of CVD, while upwardly mobile men and women had a lower risk of CVD compared with individuals from homogamous marriages. The sole exception to this trend was poorly educated men among whom marriage with a better educated wife did not affect CVD risk.

CONCLUSION

Social mobility by marriage influences CVD risk. The results provide additional insights for studies examining socioeconomic differentials in CVD risk.