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“We found that when one spouse improves his or her health behaviour, the other spouse was likely to do so as well,” said co-author Jody Sindelar, health economist and public health professor in the Yale School of Public Health.
“This was consistent across all the behaviours analysed and was similar among both males and females.”
Using longitudinal data on 6 072 individuals and their spouses from the Health and Retirement Study, the researchers found the changes in spouses’ health habits were most apparent in such behaviour as smoking and drinking, which is often spurred by outside cues, and in patient-directed preventive behaviour, such as getting a flu shot.
Easier to quit in pairs
For example, smokers were more than five times more likely to quit smoking if their spouse quit, when controlling for other relevant factors.
Similarly, spouses were five times more likely to quit drinking alcohol if their partner didn’t drink.
The changes were less apparent in clinician-directed preventive behaviour, such as obtaining cholesterol screening.
Sindelar and co-author Tracy Falba, MD, visiting assistant professor at Duke University's Centre for Health Policy, Law and Management, said health habits and use of preventive services should be viewed in the context of a family.
They said attempts to change behaviour may be enhanced, or thwarted, by the behaviour of family members, especially spouses.
For this reason, they said, intervention programmes should include tips about how to get the other spouse involved in exercise or help reduce tobacco cues. – (EurekAlert)
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Couples joined in health
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