Study: Men With Parent In Jail During Childhood More Likely To Suffer Heart Attack
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Men who had a parent in jail when they were growing up are more likely to have a heart attack later in life, according to a new study.
Virginia Tech and University of Toronto researchers say men who as children experienced a family member's incarceration are approximately twice as likely to have a heart attack after they turn 50 years old.
The study was published in the Journal of Criminal Justice.
More than 37,000 people were surveyed.
Bradley White, lead author on the study said:
"The strong association we found between incarceration of family members during childhood and later heart attack among men aged 50 and older remained even after adjustments for many known risk factors for heart attack such as age, race, income, education, smoking, physical activity, obesity, high alcohol consumption, diabetes and depression."
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Co-author Esme Fuller-Thompson from the University of Toronto says the study showed a strong association for men, and no association for women.
