Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health logoLink to Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
. 2005 Jan;59(1):56–62. doi: 10.1136/jech.2004.020073

Effects of marital transitions on changes in dietary and other health behaviours in US male health professionals

P M Eng 1, I Kawachi 1, G Fitzmaurice 1, E Rimm 1
PMCID: PMC1763358  PMID: 15598728

Abstract

Study objective: To examine the effect of change in marital status on health behaviours among men.

Design: Longitudinal study of repeated measures of marital status and health behaviours collected at four year intervals (1986–90; 1990–94).

Setting: US male health professionals.

Participants: 38 865 men aged 40–75 in 1986.

Main results: Relative to men who stayed married over four years, men who became widowed increased their alcohol consumption. Men who become divorced or widowed experienced decreases in body mass index. Compared with men who remained unmarried, men who remarried exhibited increases in body mass index along with decreased physical activity. Becoming divorced or widowed was associated with decreased vegetable intake while remarriage was linked to greater consumption.

Conclusions: Marital termination may adversely affect health and dietary behaviours among men.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (84.5 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Berkman L. F., Syme S. L. Social networks, host resistance, and mortality: a nine-year follow-up study of Alameda County residents. Am J Epidemiol. 1979 Feb;109(2):186–204. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112674. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Billson H., Pryer J. A., Nichols R. Variation in fruit and vegetable consumption among adults in Britain. An analysis from the dietary and nutritional survey of British adults. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999 Dec;53(12):946–952. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600877. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Braddon F. E., Rodgers B., Wadsworth M. E., Davies J. M. Onset of obesity in a 36 year birth cohort study. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1986 Aug 2;293(6542):299–303. doi: 10.1136/bmj.293.6542.299. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Broman C. L. Social relationships and health-related behavior. J Behav Med. 1993 Aug;16(4):335–350. doi: 10.1007/BF00844776. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cairney J., Wade T. J. Correlates of body weight in the 1994 National Population Health Survey. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1998 Jun;22(6):584–591. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0800632. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chasan-Taber S., Rimm E. B., Stampfer M. J., Spiegelman D., Colditz G. A., Giovannucci E., Ascherio A., Willett W. C. Reproducibility and validity of a self-administered physical activity questionnaire for male health professionals. Epidemiology. 1996 Jan;7(1):81–86. doi: 10.1097/00001648-199601000-00014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chilcoat H. D., Breslau N. Alcohol disorders in young adulthood: effects of transitions into adult roles. J Health Soc Behav. 1996 Dec;37(4):339–349. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Cohen S., Wills T. A. Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychol Bull. 1985 Sep;98(2):310–357. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Davis M. A., Randall E., Forthofer R. N., Lee E. S., Margen S. Living arrangements and dietary patterns of older adults in the United States. J Gerontol. 1985 Jul;40(4):434–442. doi: 10.1093/geronj/40.4.434. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Donkin A. J., Johnson A. E., Morgan K., Neale R. J., Page R. M., Silburn R. L. Gender and living alone as determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption among the elderly living at home in urban Nottingham. Appetite. 1998 Feb;30(1):39–51. doi: 10.1006/appe.1997.0110. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ebrahim S., Wannamethee G., McCallum A., Walker M., Shaper A. G. Marital status, change in marital status, and mortality in middle-aged British men. Am J Epidemiol. 1995 Oct 15;142(8):834–842. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a117723. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Giovannucci E., Colditz G., Stampfer M. J., Rimm E. B., Litin L., Sampson L., Willett W. C. The assessment of alcohol consumption by a simple self-administered questionnaire. Am J Epidemiol. 1991 Apr 15;133(8):810–817. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115960. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Gove W. R. Sex, marital status, and mortality. AJS. 1973 Jul;79(1):45–67. doi: 10.1086/225505. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hajema K. J., Knibbe R. A. Changes in social roles as predictors of changes in drinking behaviour. Addiction. 1998 Nov;93(11):1717–1727. doi: 10.1046/j.1360-0443.1998.931117179.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Horwitz A. V., White H. R., Howell-White S. The use of multiple outcomes in stress research: a case study of gender differences in responses to marital dissolution. J Health Soc Behav. 1996 Sep;37(3):278–291. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Hu F. B., Rimm E., Smith-Warner S. A., Feskanich D., Stampfer M. J., Ascherio A., Sampson L., Willett W. C. Reproducibility and validity of dietary patterns assessed with a food-frequency questionnaire. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Feb;69(2):243–249. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/69.2.243. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Hu Y. R., Goldman N. Mortality differentials by marital status: an international comparison. Demography. 1990 May;27(2):233–250. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Jeffery Robert W., Rick Allison M. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between body mass index and marriage-related factors. Obes Res. 2002 Aug;10(8):809–815. doi: 10.1038/oby.2002.109. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Joung I. M., Stronks K., van de Mheen H., Mackenbach J. P. Health behaviours explain part of the differences in self reported health associated with partner/marital status in The Netherlands. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1995 Oct;49(5):482–488. doi: 10.1136/jech.49.5.482. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Kahn H. S., Williamson D. F. The contributions of income, education and changing marital status to weight change among US men. Int J Obes. 1990 Dec;14(12):1057–1068. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. King A. C., Kiernan M., Ahn D. K., Wilcox S. The effects of marital transitions on changes in physical activity: results from a 10-year community study. Ann Behav Med. 1998 Spring;20(2):64–69. doi: 10.1007/BF02884450. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Luoto R., Poikolainen K., Uutela A. Unemployment, sociodemographic background and consumption of alcohol before and during the economic recession of the 1990s in Finland. Int J Epidemiol. 1998 Aug;27(4):623–629. doi: 10.1093/ije/27.4.623. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Martikainen P., Valkonen T. Mortality after the death of a spouse: rates and causes of death in a large Finnish cohort. Am J Public Health. 1996 Aug;86(8):1087–1093. doi: 10.2105/ajph.86.8_pt_1.1087. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Mendes de Leon C. F., Kasl S. V., Jacobs S. Widowhood and mortality risk in a community sample of the elderly: a prospective study. J Clin Epidemiol. 1993 Jun;46(6):519–527. doi: 10.1016/0895-4356(93)90124-j. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Mermelstein R., Cohen S., Lichtenstein E., Baer J. S., Kamarck T. Social support and smoking cessation and maintenance. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1986 Aug;54(4):447–453. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.54.4.447. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Miller-Tutzauer C., Leonard K. E., Windle M. Marriage and alcohol use: a longitudinal study of "maturing out". J Stud Alcohol. 1991 Sep;52(5):434–440. doi: 10.15288/jsa.1991.52.434. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Osler M. Social network and lifestyle in Danish adults. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1995 Jun;49(3):327–328. doi: 10.1136/jech.49.3.327. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Patrick D. L., Cheadle A., Thompson D. C., Diehr P., Koepsell T., Kinne S. The validity of self-reported smoking: a review and meta-analysis. Am J Public Health. 1994 Jul;84(7):1086–1093. doi: 10.2105/ajph.84.7.1086. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Power C., Estaugh V. The role of family formation and dissolution in shaping drinking behaviour in early adulthood. Br J Addict. 1990 Apr;85(4):521–530. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1990.tb01672.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Power C., Rodgers B., Hope S. Heavy alcohol consumption and marital status: disentangling the relationship in a national study of young adults. Addiction. 1999 Oct;94(10):1477–1487. doi: 10.1046/j.1360-0443.1999.941014774.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Rimm E. B., Giovannucci E. L., Stampfer M. J., Colditz G. A., Litin L. B., Willett W. C. Reproducibility and validity of an expanded self-administered semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire among male health professionals. Am J Epidemiol. 1992 May 15;135(10):1114–1136. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116211. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Rimm E. B., Giovannucci E. L., Willett W. C., Colditz G. A., Ascherio A., Rosner B., Stampfer M. J. Prospective study of alcohol consumption and risk of coronary disease in men. Lancet. 1991 Aug 24;338(8765):464–468. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)90542-w. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Rimm E. B., Stampfer M. J., Colditz G. A., Chute C. G., Litin L. B., Willett W. C. Validity of self-reported waist and hip circumferences in men and women. Epidemiology. 1990 Nov;1(6):466–473. doi: 10.1097/00001648-199011000-00009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Rissanen A. M., Heliövaara M., Knekt P., Reunanen A., Aromaa A. Determinants of weight gain and overweight in adult Finns. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1991 Sep;45(9):419–430. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Romelsjö A., Lazarus N. B., Kaplan G. A., Cohen R. D. The relationship between stressful life situations and changes in alcohol consumption in a general population sample. Br J Addict. 1991 Feb;86(2):157–169. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01766.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Rosenbloom C. A., Whittington F. J. The effects of bereavement on eating behaviors and nutrient intakes in elderly widowed persons. J Gerontol. 1993 Jul;48(4):S223–S229. doi: 10.1093/geronj/48.4.s223. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Schone B. S., Weinick R. M. Health-related behaviors and the benefits of marriage for elderly persons. Gerontologist. 1998 Oct;38(5):618–627. doi: 10.1093/geront/38.5.618. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Shah M., Jeffery R. W., Hannan P. J., Onstad L. Relationship between socio-demographic and behaviour variables, and body mass index in a population with high-normal blood pressure: Hypertension Prevention Trial. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1989 Sep;43(9):583–596. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Shahar D. R., Schultz R., Shahar A., Wing R. R. The effect of widowhood on weight change, dietary intake, and eating behavior in the elderly population. J Aging Health. 2001 May;13(2):189–199. doi: 10.1177/089826430101300202. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Sobal J., Rauschenbach B. S., Frongillo E. A., Jr Marital status, fatness and obesity. Soc Sci Med. 1992 Oct;35(7):915–923. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(92)90106-z. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Sobal Jeffery, Rauschenbach Barbara, Frongillo Edward A. Marital status changes and body weight changes: a US longitudinal analysis. Soc Sci Med. 2003 Apr;56(7):1543–1555. doi: 10.1016/s0277-9536(02)00155-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  42. Stroebe M. S., Stroebe W. Who suffers more? Sex differences in health risks of the widowed. Psychol Bull. 1983 Mar;93(2):279–301. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. Tillgren P., Haglund B. J., Lundberg M., Romelsjö A. The sociodemographic pattern of tobacco cessation in the 1980s: results from a panel study of living condition surveys in Sweden. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1996 Dec;50(6):625–630. doi: 10.1136/jech.50.6.625. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  44. Umberson D. Family status and health behaviors: social control as a dimension of social integration. J Health Soc Behav. 1987 Sep;28(3):306–319. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  45. Umberson D. Gender, marital status and the social control of health behavior. Soc Sci Med. 1992 Apr;34(8):907–917. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(92)90259-s. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  46. Waldron I., Lye D. Family roles and smoking. Am J Prev Med. 1989 May-Jun;5(3):136–141. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  47. de Castro J. M. Family and friends produce greater social facilitation of food intake than other companions. Physiol Behav. 1994 Sep;56(3):445–445. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(94)90286-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES