Subjective Aging and Incident Cardiovascular Disease

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Cardiovascular Health
• Psychology of Aging

Background:

• Subjective aging, encompassing subjective age and self-perceptions of aging (SPA), influences health outcomes in older adults.
• While linked to cardiovascular risk factors, the direct association between subjective aging and cardiovascular disease incidence remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between subjective age and SPA with the incidence of heart conditions and stroke.
• To determine if subjective aging predicts cardiovascular disease events in a large cohort of older adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 10,695 participants (aged 50-100) in the Health and Retirement Study.
• Assessed subjective age, SPA, demographics, health behaviors, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, and depressive symptoms at baseline.
• Tracked self-reported diagnoses of heart conditions and stroke over a 9-year follow-up period.

Main Results:

• Older subjective age and negative SPA were associated with increased risk of incident heart conditions (approx. 40% higher risk).
• Older subjective age and negative SPA were linked to a nearly twofold and 30% higher risk of incident stroke, respectively.
• Health behaviors, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, and depression partially mediated these associations.

Conclusions:

• Confirms that older subjective age and negative SPA are significant risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, including stroke.
• Highlights the importance of subjective aging perceptions in cardiovascular health among older populations.
• Suggests potential targets for interventions aimed at mitigating cardiovascular risk through addressing subjective aging.