Prospective Analysis of the Effect of Widowhood on CVD

May 12, 2016 updated by: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
To determine the effect of widowhood on cardiovascular disease.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

BACKGROUND:

Widowed persons have been found to have higher mortality rates than married persons in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. In many of these studies, excess mortality has been attributed to deaths from cardiovascular disease. Despite these consistent findings, the lack of detailed data collected prior to widowhood has hampered our ability to understand the mechanisms to explain this effect. Furthermore, an understanding of the mechanisms underlying this effect might help elucidate the apparent gender differences in mortality following widowhood.

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

The study took advantage of the data collected as part of the Framingham Study to investigate the effect of widowhood on cardiovascular disease. The Framingham dataset has extensive clinical data related to cardiovascular disease, as well as to health behaviors. These longitudinal data provided the opportunity to prospectively characterize the health of widows prior to and following the loss of a spouse in much greater detail than previously possible. The analyses used a prospective design in which those men and women who had a spouse die during the course of the study (N=626) were compared to men and women who remained married (N=2044). These analyses also provided the opportunity to examine reasons for the beneficial effect found of remarriage. The study addressed the following questions: 1. Can the increased risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease often found following widowhood be explained by pre-widowhood health status? 2. Can increased mortality following widowhood be explained by changes in health behaviors related to cardiovascular disease risk. 3. What pre-widowhood risk factors place the widowed at greater risk for cardiovascular disease morbidity and/or mortality following the death of a spouse? 4. Can pre-widowhood risk factors or post-widowhood behavior change account for gender differences in mortality following widowhood?

The study completion date listed in this record was obtained from the "End Date" entered in the Protocol Registration and Results System (PRS) record.

Study Type

Observational

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

No older than 100 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

No eligibility criteria

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 1993

Study Completion (Actual)

February 1, 1996

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 25, 2000

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 25, 2000

First Posted (Estimate)

May 26, 2000

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

May 13, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 12, 2016

Last Verified

November 1, 2001

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 4342
  • R03HL049043 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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