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The Association between Social Network Betweenness and Coronary Calcium: A Baseline Study of Patients with a High
Won-Tak Joo1, Chan Joo Lee2, Jaewon Oh2
1Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Insights
A deficiency in social network betweenness, particularly lacking connections outside of family, is linked to higher coronary artery calcium scores in high-risk cardiovascular disease patients. This highlights the importance of diverse social connections for heart health.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular disease research
- Social epidemiology
- Network science
Background:
- Social networks are increasingly recognized for their impact on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
- Social network betweenness, defined as mediating between diverse social groups, is a key network characteristic.
- Previous studies have established a general link between social networks and CVD outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between social network betweenness and coronary artery calcium (CAC) in a high-risk CVD cohort.
- To specifically examine the role of 'only-family networks' and 'no-cutpoint networks' in relation to CAC.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 1,384 participants in the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Etiology Research Center-High Risk Cohort study.
- Measurement of social network betweenness deficiency using 'only-family networks' and 'no-cutpoint networks' metrics.
- Correlation of network characteristics with coronary artery calcium scores (CACS) using logistic regression.
Main Results:
- Higher CACS were associated with smaller network size, only-family networks, and no-cutpoint networks (all p<0.001).
- Network size showed no significant association with CACS.
- No-cutpoint networks demonstrated a significant relationship with CACS > 400 (OR, 1.72; p=0.026), particularly in older and female participants.
Conclusions:
- Deficiency in social network betweenness, especially the lack of bridging diverse social groups, is significantly associated with coronary calcification in individuals at high risk for CVD.
- The findings suggest that limited social connectivity, particularly beyond family ties, may contribute to subclinical atherosclerosis.
- Further research is warranted to confirm these associations in the general population.
Aim:
The association of social networks with cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been demonstrated through various studies. This study aimed to examine the association between social network betweenness -a network position of mediating between diverse social groups-and coronary artery calcium.
Methods:
The data of 1,384 participants from the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Etiology Research Center-High Risk Cohort, a prospective cohort study enrolling patients with a high risk of developing CVD (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02003781), were analyzed. The deficiency in social network betweenness was measured in two ways: only-family networks, in which a respondent had networks with only family members, and no-cutpoint networks, in which the respondent does not function as a point of bridging between two or more social groups that are not directly connected.
Results:
Participants who had higher coronary artery calcium scores (CACSs) were likely to have a smaller network size (p＜0.001), only-family networks (p＜0.001), and no-cutpoint networks (p＜0.001). Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed no significant association between network size and CACS. Only no-cutpoint networks had a significant relationship with CACS ＞400 (odds ratio, 1.72; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-2.77; p=0.026). The association was stronger among older (age ＞60 years) and female respondents.
Conclusion:
Deficiency in social network betweenness is closely related to coronary calcium in participants with a high risk of CVD. To generalize these results to a general population, further study should be performed.
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