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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Shared health behaviors among older Mexican American spouses
Jim P Stimpson1, Meredith C Masel, Laura Rudkin
1Sealy Center on Aging, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, 77555, USA. jastimps@utmb.edu
Objective:
To assess the association of health behaviors among husbands and wives.
Methods:
Cohort study of 553 Mexican American couples aged 65 years or older from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (H-EPESE). Multivariate regression analyses test the association of body mass index, smoking, and alcohol consumption among husbands and wives.
Results:
Body mass index is positively associated among couples. Risk of smoking or drinking was higher if the partner had ever smoked or drank alcohol.
Conclusion:
Health behaviors are associated among older Mexican American couples. Intervention efforts should be directed at both spouses.
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