The LSH study Lifeconditions, Stress and Health

This study is part of the collection Swedish Cohort Consortium (Cohorts.se)

Overview Description Data and documentation

Creator/Principal investigator(s)

Margareta Kristenson - Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences

Description

Also the welfare state of Sweden has prominent socioeconomic (SES) differences in health. These are seen for most measures of SES, i e for education, occupation and income, and also for most health outcomes: for all-cause mortality, for morbidity in most diseases and for self-rated health. SES differences are, in particular, evident for coronary heart disease (CHD) with a two-fold difference in incidence and death between high and low SES groups. Causes for this are not clear. It is well known that an unhealthy lifestyle is more common in low SES but this can only explain a part of observed SES differences.

One possible explanation is effects of psychosocial factors. High levels of psychosocial risk factors and low availability of psychosocial resources are well documented predictors of CHD and more common in low SES. We and others have demonstrated that these factors are related to poor function of the HPA axis with reduced cortisol reactivity and with higher levels of markers for inflammation and plaque vulnerability, which also are known predictors of CHD.

The overall objective of the research program is to analyse, in a prospective design, to what extent socioeconomic differences in CHD incidence and death can be explained by psychosocial factors, especially psychological resources, and if observed effects are mediated by biological markers of stress, inflammation and plaque vulnerability.
Our data builds on two cohorts, using the same design of a random sample from a normal middle-aged Swedish population. Data collection: cohort I 2003-2004 (n=1007); cohort II 2012-2015 (n=2051), used a comprehensive design with broad questionnaires on SES, psychosocial risk factors, psychological resources, lifestyle and present disease, anthropometrics, saliva and blood samples. Primary outcome is symptomatic CHD. In a nested case control design data for cases shall be compared to controls.

While CHD incidence is falling, SES differences in CHD incidence and mortality remain and causes for this are not clear. This is one of few prospective studies linking the chain from SES, via psychosocial factors to biological markers of stress, inflammation and plaque vulnerability and CHD. The study has, therefore, the potential to generate important knowledge on causes behind SES disparities in CHD and on “how stress gets under your skin”
More information about study design, study populations and timeline is available in document under the tab Documentation.

Purpose:

The overall objective of the research program is to analyse, in a prospective design, to what extent socioeconomic differences in Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) incidence and death can be explained by psychosocial factors, especially psychological resources, and if observed effects are mediated by biological markers of stress, inflammation and plaque vulnerability. Show less..

Subject area

HEALTH (CESSDA Topic Classification)
Medical and Health Sciences (The Swedish standard of fields of research 2011)

Keywords

socioeconomic factors, inflammation, cohorts.se, psychological resources, stress, psychosocial factors

Principal organisation

Linköping University

Accessibility status

Access to data through an external actor
Access to data is restricted

Homepage

The study homepage

Responsible department/unit

Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences

Creator/Principal investigator(s)

Margareta Kristenson - Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences

Identifiers

SND-ID: EXT 0256

Description

Time period(s) investigated

2003-09-30 — 2004-03-03

2012-08-21 — 2015-12-31

Geographic spread

Geographic location: Sweden, Östergötland County, Jönköping County

Unit of analysis

Individual

Time Method

Longitudinal

Sampling procedure

Probability

Random samples from the normal population.

Ethics Review

Linköping — Ref. 02-324 and 2012/8031

Biobank is connected to the study

Yes

Subject area

HEALTH (CESSDA Topic Classification)
Medical and Health Sciences (The Swedish standard of fields of research 2011)

Keywords

socioeconomic factors, inflammation, cohorts.se, psychological resources, stress, psychosocial factors

Contact for questions about the data

Margareta Kristenson

Is part of collection at SND

Swedish Cohort Consortium (Cohorts.se)

Show related research data

Associated documentation

Study design study populations and timeline.pdf

Download metadata

Dataset 1

The LSH- study Life condition Stress and Health: Cohort 1

Creator/Principal investigator(s)

Margareta Kristenson - Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences

Description

Cohort 1: Data collection is conducted in collaboration with 10 Primary Health Care centers (PHCs) in Östergötland county council and sampling was done from the normal population of the catchment area for each PHC. The study is build on a comprehensive design with broad questionnaires on SES, psychosocial risk factors, psychological resources, lifestyle and present disease, anthropometrics, saliva and blood samples.

Data format / data structure

Numeric

Data collection

Mode of collection: Measurements and tests

Time period(s) for data collection: 2003-09-30 — 2004-03-03

Data collector: Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences

Source of the data: Population group

Mode of collection: Self-administered questionnaire

Time period(s) for data collection: 2003-09-30 — 2004-03-03

Data collector: Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences

Source of the data: Population group

Number of individuals/objects

1007

Dataset 2

The LSH- study Life condition Stress and Health: Cohort 2

Creator/Principal investigator(s)

Margareta Kristenson - Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences

Description

Cohort 2: Data collection is conducted in collaboration with 27 PHCs in Östergötland and 19 PHCs in Jönköping county council. The same methods are used for collecting data, as described for cohort 1.

Data format / data structure

Numeric

Data collection

Mode of collection: Self-administered questionnaire

Time period(s) for data collection: 2012-08-21 — 2015-12-31

Data collector: Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences

Source of the data: Population group

Mode of collection: Measurements and tests

Time period(s) for data collection: 2012-08-21 — 2015-12-31

Data collector: Linköping University, Department of Medical and Health Sciences

Source of the data: Population group

Number of individuals/objects

7051

Published: 2017-02-21