Objective: to longitudinally measure and analyse changes in doctor diagnosed cardiovascular disease (CVD) reported in surveys of Australian women, after adjusting for demographic, health and illness, lifestyle, behavioural and socio-economic characteristics.
Methods: Cross sectional and longitudinal analyses are described for two cohorts of women (born in 1921-26 and 1946-51) in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) which has been tracking the health of Australian women since 1996. Data from five surveys in each cohort since 1996 are analysed here. Groups of women are identified according to whether they reported CVD episodically and over time. Chi squared tests are used to compare the frequency of reported CVD by SES (as measured) at survey time points. Logistic regression modelling is used to estimate the likelihood of associations between CVD and various social, economic and demographic characteristics (such as area of residence, education, and main occupation) after adjusting for co-morbidities (e.g. diabetes, renal failure, depression, cancer, arthritis). Generalised Estimating Equations are used to compare changes in reported CVD for groups of women classified according to measures of socioeconomic status SES, after adjusting for time, health and illness, lifestyle, behavioural and other socio-demographic characteristics.
Results: This research demonstrates both cross sectional and longitudinal associations between CVD and SES (various dimensions) in two cohorts of Australian women and shows how the strength of these relationships varies with age.
Conclusions: The work highlights the importance of using longitudinal data to understand how individuals’ social and economic circumstances impact on their health over time.