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Spousal similarities in cardiometabolic risk factors: A cross-sectional comparison between Dutch and Japanese data

Naoki Nakaya1, Tian Xie2, Bart Scheerder3

  • 1Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan; Department of Health Science, Saitama Prefectural University, Japan.

Atherosclerosis
|September 7, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Spouses share similar cardiometabolic risk factors, with Dutch couples showing stronger similarities in traits and lifestyle than Japanese couples. Age and cultural factors influence these spousal similarities in health.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Human Genetics

Background:

  • Limited research exists on spousal concordance of cardiometabolic risk factors across diverse populations.
  • Understanding these similarities can offer insights into shared environmental and lifestyle influences on health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify and compare spousal similarities in cardiometabolic risk factors and diseases.
  • To investigate differences in spousal concordance between Dutch and Japanese populations.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 28,265 Dutch and 5,391 Japanese spouse pairs.
  • Analysis of cardiometabolic risk factors using correlation and logistic regression, adjusted for age.
  • Comparison of spousal similarities across different risk factors and demographic groups.

Main Results:

  • Significant spousal similarities were observed for all cardiometabolic risk factors and diseases in both cohorts.
  • Strongest correlations were found in anthropometric traits, with Dutch pairs showing greater similarity than Japanese pairs.
  • Spousal concordance varied by risk factor and age, with notable differences in hypertension and smoking between the Dutch and Japanese cohorts.

Conclusions:

  • Spouses exhibit similarities in cardiometabolic risk factors in both Dutch and Japanese populations.
  • Regional and cultural factors significantly influence the degree of spousal concordance in health behaviors and risk factors.
Abstract

Keywords:
Anthropometric traitsCardiometabolic diseasesLifestyle habitsRisk factorsSpousal similarity

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