The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of social support on the 8-year risk of arterial hypertension (AH) in men aged 25 to 64. The researchers studied a random representative sample of male residents of a Novosibirsk district aged 25 to 64 years. The level of social support was evaluated by Berkman-Syme method. All the cases of AH which occurred in the cohort within 8 years (1994-2002) were investigated. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS-11.5 software package. The relative risk (RR) of AH was evaluated using a Cox proportional regressive model. Within these 8 years the RR of AH was higher: 1) in men aged 25 to 64 years with low and medium close contact index (CCI) compared to men with high CCI (8.5 times); 2) in subjects with low social contact index (SCI) compared to subjects with high or medium SCI (4.8 times). In men aged 55 to 64 years the RR of AH was 15.9 times higher in men with low CCI. The highest rate of AH was found in men with low CCI and SCI belonging to the groups of widowers, divorced people, subjects with incomplete secondary or primary education, as well as in pensioners and people with low level of social support. The results show that AH risk in men aged 25 to 64 years is associated with low level of social support.
