Objective To understand the relationships of the number of pregnancies and lifestyle with the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among elderly female diabetic patients in Jiaxian county, Henan province and provide a scientific basis for developing individualized CVD prevention strategies.
Methods From July 1 to August 31, 2023, a cluster sampling method was employed to conduct a questionnaire survey among 21 379 patients aged ≥ 65 years who had lived in Jiaxian county, Henan province for at least six months and treated in 15 township hospitals or community health service centers. After individuals with incomplete lifestyle information, males, and non-diabetic patients were excluded, a total of 4 133 elderly female diabetic patients were included in the final analysis. A multivariable unconditional logistic regression model was adopted to examine the associations of the number of pregnancies and lifestyle with the prevalence of CVD among these patients.
Results Among the 4 133 elderly female diabetic patients included in the analysis from Jiaxian county, Henan province, 1 712 were diagnosed with CVD, resulting in a CVD prevalence of 41.4%. A total of 1 099 (26.6%), 1 190 (28.8%), and 1 844 (44.6%) patients had ≤ 2, 3, and ≥ 4 pregnancies, respectively. Regarding lifestyle, 2 183 (52.8%) patients were classified as having an unhealthy lifestyle, while 1 950 (47.2%) had a healthy lifestyle. After adjustment for confounding factors such as age, ethnicity, education background, marital status, and annual household income, multivariable unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that the elderly female diabetic patients with an unhealthy lifestyle had a 1.521-fold higher risk of CVD compared to those with a healthy lifestyle (OR = 1.521, 95%CI: 1.341–1.726). Interaction analysis further revealed that compared to the patients with ≤ 2 pregnancies and a healthy lifestyle, those with ≤ 2 pregnancies and an unhealthy lifestyle had a 1.432-fold higher risk of CVD (OR = 1.432, 95%CI: 1.121–1.829), those with 3 pregnancies and an unhealthy lifestyle had a 1.571-fold higher risk (OR = 1.571, 95%CI: 1.237–1.996), and those with ≥ 4 pregnancies and an unhealthy lifestyle had a 1.674-fold higher risk (OR = 1.674, 95%CI: 1.340–2.091).
Conclusions A multiplicative interaction was observed between the number of pregnancies and unhealthy lifestyle, contributing to an elevated risk of CVD among elderly female diabetic patients in Jiaxian county, Henan province.
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