Abstract MP28: Social Isolation, Loneliness, And Cardiovascular Disease Among Older Women In The Women’S Health Initiative

Abstract

Background: Now more than ever is a critical time to understand the independent contributions social isolation and loneliness have on cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. This study examined the unique contribution social isolation and loneliness have on incidence of CVD among a large, diverse sample of postmenopausal women. Further, we examined whether levels of social support modified these relationships. Methods: Women with no prior history of CVD events (n=57,825; age 79±6) self-reported social activities, living alone, marital status, loneliness, and social support from 2014-2015 and were followed up-to 4 years for incident major CVD (myocardial infarction, stroke, and CVD death). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for CVD were estimated for 1-interquartile range (IQR) increment in social isolation and loneliness using 3 progressively adjusted Cox proportional hazard models. Social support was tested as an effect modifier using a multiplicative interaction term in model 2 (see Table) separately for social isolation and loneliness. Results: Over a cumulative follow-up time of 186,762 person-years, 1,599 incident major CVD events were observed. In fully adjusted models containing both social isolation and loneliness, HRs (95% CIs) for 1-IQR increment in social isolation 1.07 (1.03 - 1.12) and loneliness 1.05 (1.01 - 1.09) (see Table). Social support was not an effect modifier of either association (p’s > .05). Conclusions: Higher social isolation and loneliness were each independently associated with higher risk for incident CVD events among older women and associations were not significantly different among those with high and low social support. Findings support emerging evidence regarding the importance of social connection on heart health. Future studies need to explore ways to reduce feelings of social isolation and loneliness, and the mechanisms through which that affects healthy cardiovascular aging and resiliency.