Women's Health Initiative Strong and Healthy Pragmatic Physical Activity Intervention Trial for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: Design and Baseline Characteristics

BACKGROUND

National guidelines promote physical activity to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD), yet no randomized controlled trial has tested whether physical activity reduces CVD.

METHODS

The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Strong and Healthy (WHISH) pragmatic trial used a randomized consent design to assign women for whom cardiovascular outcomes were available through WHI data collection (N = 18 985) or linkage to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (N30 346), to a physical activity intervention or "usual activity" comparison, stratified by ages 68-99 years (in tertiles), U.S. geographic region, and outcomes data source. Women assigned to the intervention could "opt out" after receiving initial physical activity materials. Intervention materials applied evidence-based behavioral science principles to promote current national recommendations for older Americans. The intervention was adapted to participant input regarding preferences, resources, barriers, and motivational drivers and was targeted for 3 categories of women at lower, middle, or higher levels of self-reported physical functioning and physical activity. Physical activity was assessed in both arms through annual questionnaires. The primary outcome is major cardiovascular events, specifically myocardial infarction, stroke, or CVD death; primary safety outcomes are hip fracture and non-CVD death. The trial is monitored annually by an independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board. Final analyses will be based on intention to treat in all randomized participants, regardless of intervention engagement.

RESULTS

The 49 331 randomized participants had a mean baseline age of 79.7 years; 84.3% were White, 9.2% Black, 3.3% Hispanic, 1.9% Asian/Pacific Islander, 0.3% Native American, and 1% were of unknown race/ethnicity. The mean baseline RAND-36 physical function score was 71.6 (± 25.2 SD). There were no differences between Intervention (N = 24 657) and Control (N = 24 674) at baseline for age, race/ethnicity, current smoking (2.5%), use of blood pressure or lipid-lowering medications, body mass index, physical function, physical activity, or prior CVD (10.1%).

CONCLUSION

The WHISH trial is rigorously testing whether a physical activity intervention reduces major CV events in a large, diverse cohort of older women. Clinical Trials Registration Number: NCT02425345.

Randomized Trial Evaluation of the Benefits and Risks of Menopausal Hormone Therapy Among Women 50-59 Years of Age

The health benefits and risks of menopausal hormone therapy among women aged 50-59 years are examined in the Women's Health Initiative randomized, placebo-controlled trials using long-term follow-up data and a parsimonious statistical model that leverages data from older participants to increase precision. These trials enrolled 27,347 healthy postmenopausal women aged 50-79 years at 40 US clinical centers during 1993-1998, including 10,739 post-hysterectomy participants in a trial of conjugated equine estrogens and 16,608 participants with a uterus in the trial of these estrogens plus medroxyprogesterone acetate. Over a (median) 18-year follow-up period (1993-2016), risk for a global index (defined as the earliest of coronary heart disease, invasive breast cancer, stroke, pulmonary embolism, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, hip fracture, and all-cause mortality) was reduced with conjugated equine estrogens with a hazard ratio of 0.82 (95% confidence interval: 0.71, 0.95), and with nominally significant reductions for coronary heart disease, breast cancer, hip fracture, and all-cause mortality. Corresponding global index hazard ratio estimates of 1.06 (95% confidence interval: 0.95, 1.19) were nonsignificant for combined estrogens plus progestin, but increased breast cancer risk and reduced endometrial cancer risk were observed. These results, among women 50-59 years of age, substantially agree with the worldwide observational literature, with the exception of breast cancer for estrogens alone.

Association of Visual Impairment With Risk of Incident Dementia in a Women's Health Initiative Population

Importance

Dementia affects a large and growing population of older adults. Although past studies suggest an association between vision and cognitive impairment, there are limited data regarding longitudinal associations of vision with dementia.

Objective

To evaluate associations between visual impairment and risk of cognitive impairment.

Design, Setting, and Participants

A secondary analysis of a prospective longitudinal cohort study compared the likelihood of incident dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) among women with and without baseline visual impairment using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusting for characteristics of participants enrolled in Women's Health Initiative (WHI) ancillary studies. The participants comprised community-dwelling older women (age, 66-84 years) concurrently enrolled in WHI Sight Examination (enrollment 2000-2002) and WHI Memory Study (enrollment 1996-1998, ongoing). The study was conducted from 2000 to the present.

Exposures

Objectively measured visual impairment at 3 thresholds (visual acuity worse than 20/40, 20/80, or 20/100) and self-reported visual impairment (determined using composite survey responses).

Main Outcomes and Measures

Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for incident cognitive impairment after baseline eye examination were determined. Cognitive impairment (probable dementia or MCI) was based on cognitive testing, clinical assessment, and centralized review and adjudication. Models for (1) probable dementia, (2) MCI, and (3) probable dementia or MCI were evaluated.

Results

A total of 1061 women (mean [SD] age, 73.8 [3.7] years) were identified; 206 of these women (19.4%) had self-reported visual impairment and 183 women (17.2%) had objective visual impairment. Forty-two women (4.0%) were ultimately classified with probable dementia and 28 women (2.6%) with MCI that did not progress to dementia. Mean post-eye examination follow-up was 3.8 (1.8) years (range, 0-7 years). Women with vs without baseline objective visual impairment were more likely to develop dementia. Greatest risk for dementia was among women with visual acuity of 20/100 or worse at baseline (HR, 5.66; 95% CI, 1.75-18.37), followed by 20/80 or worse (HR, 5.20; 95% CI, 1.94-13.95), and 20/40 or worse (HR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.08-4.21). Findings were similar for risk of MCI, with the greatest risk among women with baseline visual acuity of 20/100 or worse (HR, 6.43; 95% CI, 1.66-24.85).

Conclusions and Relevance

In secondary analysis of a prospective longitudinal cohort study of older women with formal vision and cognitive function testing, objective visual impairment appears to be associated with an increased risk of incident dementia. However, incident cases of dementia and the proportion of those with visual impairment were low. Research is needed to evaluate the effect of specific ophthalmic interventions on dementia.

Sleep Characteristics and Risk of Ovarian Cancer Among Postmenopausal Women

Several studies have assessed the relationship between sleep duration and ovarian cancer risk, but the results are conflicting. Importantly, no studies addressed the relationship between sleep disturbance or sleep quality and ovarian cancer incidence. Moreover, few studies have examined the relationships between sleep measures and subtypes of ovarian cancer. This study included 109,024 postmenopausal women ages 50-79 from the Women's Health Initiative during 1993-1998 and followed through 2018. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate adjusted HRs for the associations between sleep habits and the incidence of ovarian cancer and its subtypes. No association was observed between sleep duration, sleep quality, sleep disturbance, or insomnia and risk of overall ovarian cancer, serous/nonserous, or type I/type II ovarian cancer subtype. However, compared with women with average sleep quality, women with restful or very restful sleep quality had a significantly lower risk of invasive serous subtype [HR: 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.60-0.90] while insomnia was associated with a higher risk of invasive serous subtype (HR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.12-1.66). Associations with insomnia differed significantly by serous and nonserous subtypes, and type I and type II subtypes (P heterogeneity = 0.001 and P heterogeneity <0.001, respectively). This study provides no evidence on association between sleep habits and overall ovarian cancer risk among postmenopausal women. However, restful or very restful sleep quality was associated with a lower risk of invasive serous ovarian cancer, and insomnia was associated with a higher risk of invasive serous ovarian cancer. Associations with insomnia differed by subtypes. PREVENTION RELEVANCE: This study shows no association between sleep duration, sleep quality, or insomnia with the risk of overall ovarian cancer among postmenopausal women. However, restful sleep quality was associated with a lower risk of invasive serous ovarian cancer, and insomnia was associated with a higher risk of invasive serous ovarian cancer.

Risk of metabolic syndrome and metabolic phenotypes in relation to biomarker-calibrated estimates of energy and protein intakes: an investigation from the Women's Health Initiative

BACKGROUND

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with increased mortality independent of BMI, resulting in discordant metabolic phenotypes, such as metabolically healthy obese and metabolically unhealthy normal-weight individuals. Studies investigating dietary intake in MetS have reported mixed results, due in part to the limitations of self-reported measures.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the role of biomarker-calibrated estimates of energy and protein in MetS and metabolic phenotypes.

METHODS

Postmenopausal participants from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study who were free of MetS at baseline, had available data from FFQs at baseline, and had components of MetS at Year 3 (n = 3963) were included. Dietary energy and protein intakes were estimated using biomarker calibration methods. MetS was defined as 3 or more of the following: elevated serum triglycerides (≥150 mg/dL), low HDL cholesterol (<50 mg/dL), hypertension [systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥130 or diastolic BP ≥85 mmHg], elevated serum glucose (>100 mg/dL), and abdominal adiposity (waist circumference > 89 cm). Models were adjusted for age, WHI study component, race/ethnicity, education, income, smoking, recreational physical activity, disease history, and parity.

RESULTS

For every 10% increment in total calibrated energy intake, women were at a 1.37-fold elevated risk of MetS (95% CI, 1.15-1.63); a 10% increment in calibrated total protein intake was associated with a 1.21-fold elevated risk of MetS (95% CI, 1.00-1.47). Specifically, animal protein intake was associated with MetS (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02-1.14), whereas vegetable protein intake was not (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.95-1.03). No differences were seen when examining metabolic phenotypes.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that higher calibrated total energy, total protein, and total animal protein intakes were strongly associated with MetS. If replicated in clinical trials, these results will have implications for the promotion of energy and animal protein restrictions for the reduction of MetS risks.

Association of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes With Risk of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Postmenopausal Women

Importance

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) may have unique risk factors in women. Most women have a history of pregnancy; common adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) appear to be associated with ASCVD, but prior studies have limitations.

Objective

To assess whether APOs are associated with increased ASCVD risk independently of traditional risk factors.

Design, Setting, and Participants

The APO history among participants in the Women's Health Initiative, a large multiethnic cohort of postmenopausal women, was assessed. The associations of 5 self-reported APOs (gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, low birth weight [ie, birth weight less than 2.49 kg], high birth weight [ie, birth weight greater than 4.08 kg], and preterm delivery by 3 weeks or more) with ASCVD were analyzed, adjusting for traditional ASCVD risk factors. Data were collected and analyzed in 2017.

Exposures

APOs (gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, low birth weight, high birth weight, and preterm delivery).

Main Outcomes and Measures

Adjudicated ASCVD.

Results

A total of 48 113 Women's Health Initiative participants responded to the survey; the median (interquartile range) age at time of enrollment was 60.0 (55.0-64.0) years. A total of 13 482 participants (28.8%) reported 1 or more APOs. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was more frequent in women who reported an APO compared with those without APOs (1028 of 13 482 [7.6%] vs 1758 of 30 522 [5.8%]). Each APO, analyzed separately, was significantly associated with ASCVD, and gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, low birth weight, and preterm delivery remained significant after adjustment for traditional ASCVD risk factors. When all APOs were analyzed together, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.15-1.40) and low birth weight (odds ratio, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.00-1.26) remained independently associated with ASCVD. All findings were materially unchanged by additional adjustment for parity, body mass index, and socioeconomic factors.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this large multiethnic cohort of women, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and low birth weight were independently associated with ASCVD after adjustment for risk factors and other APOs.

Association of Sedentary Time and Incident Heart Failure Hospitalization in Postmenopausal Women

BACKGROUND

The 2018 US Physical Activity Guidelines recommend reducing sedentary behavior (SB) for cardiovascular health. SB's role in heart failure (HF) is unclear.

METHODS

We studied 80 982 women in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, aged 50 to 79 years, who were without known HF and reported ability to walk ≥1 block unassisted at baseline. Mean follow-up was 9 years for physician-adjudicated incident HF hospitalization (1402 cases). SB was assessed repeatedly by questionnaire. Time-varying total SB was categorized according to awake time spent sitting or lying down (≤6.5, 6.6-9.5, >9.5 h/d); sitting time (≤4.5, 4.6-8.5, >8.5 h/d) was also evaluated. Hazard ratios and 95% CI were estimated using Cox regression.

RESULTS

Controlling for age, race/ethnicity, education, income, smoking, alcohol, menopausal hormone therapy, and hysterectomy status, higher HF risk was observed across incremental tertiles of time-varying total SB (hazard ratios [95% CI], 1.00 [referent], 1.15 [1.01-1.31], 1.42 [1.25-1.61], trend P<0.001) and sitting time (1.00 [referent], 1.14 [1.01-1.28], 1.54 [1.34-1.78], trend P<0.001). The inverse trends remained significant after further controlling for comorbidities including time-varying myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization (hazard ratios: SB, 1.00, 1.11, 1.27; sitting, 1.00, 1.09, 1.37, trend P<0.001 each) and for baseline physical activity (hazard ratios: SB 1.00, 1.10, 1.24; sitting 1.00, 1.08, 1.33, trend P<0.001 each). Associations with SB exposures were not different according to categories of baseline age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, physical activity, physical functioning, diabetes, hypertension, or coronary heart disease.

CONCLUSIONS

SB was associated with increased risk of incident HF hospitalization in postmenopausal women. Targeted efforts to reduce SB could enhance HF prevention in later life.

Menopause Transition and Cardiovascular Disease Risk: Implications for Timing of Early Prevention: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women, who have a notable increase in the risk for this disease after menopause and typically develop coronary heart disease several years later than men. This observation led to the hypothesis that the menopause transition (MT) contributes to the increase in coronary heart disease risk. Over the past 20 years, longitudinal studies of women traversing menopause have contributed significantly to our understanding of the relationship between the MT and CVD risk. By following women over this period, researchers have been able to disentangle chronological and ovarian aging with respect to CVD risk. These studies have documented distinct patterns of sex hormone changes, as well as adverse alterations in body composition, lipids and lipoproteins, and measures of vascular health over the MT, which can increase a woman's risk of developing CVD postmenopausally. The reported findings underline the significance of the MT as a time of accelerating CVD risk, thereby emphasizing the importance of monitoring women's health during midlife, a critical window for implementing early intervention strategies to reduce CVD risk. Notably, the 2011 American Heart Association guidelines for CVD prevention in women (the latest sex-specific guidelines to date) did not include information now available about the contribution of the MT to increased CVD in women. Therefore, there is a crucial need to discuss the contemporary literature on menopause and CVD risk with the intent of increasing awareness of the significant adverse cardiometabolic health-related changes accompanying midlife and the MT. This scientific statement provides an up-to-date synthesis of the existing data on the MT and how it relates to CVD.

Association between regional body fat and cardiovascular disease risk among postmenopausal women with normal body mass index

AIMS

Central adiposity is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, even among people with normal body mass index (BMI). We tested the hypothesis that regional body fat deposits (trunk or leg fat) are associated with altered risk of CVD among postmenopausal women with normal BMI.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We included 2683 postmenopausal women with normal BMI (18.5 to <25 kg/m2) who participated in the Women's Health Initiative and had no known CVD at baseline. Body composition was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Incident CVD events including coronary heart disease and stroke were ascertained through February 2017. During a median 17.9 years of follow-up, 291 incident CVD cases occurred. After adjustment for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical risk factors, neither whole-body fat mass nor fat percentage was associated with CVD risk. Higher percent trunk fat was associated with increased risk of CVD [highest vs. lowest quartile hazard ratio (HR) = 1.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.33-2.74; P-trend <0.001], whereas higher percent leg fat was associated with decreased risk of CVD (highest vs. lowest quartile HR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.43-0.89; P-trend = 0.008). The association for trunk fat was attenuated yet remained significant after further adjustment for waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio. Higher percent trunk fat combined with lower percent leg fat was associated with particularly high risk of CVD (HR comparing extreme groups = 3.33, 95% CI 1.46-7.62).

CONCLUSION

Among postmenopausal women with normal BMI, both elevated trunk fat and reduced leg fat are associated with increased risk of CVD.

Examining differences between overweight women and men in 12-month weight loss study comparing healthy low-carbohydrate vs. low-fat diets

Background/objectives

Biological sex factors and sociocultural gender norms affect the physiology and behavior of weight loss. However, most diet intervention studies do not report outcomes by sex, thereby impeding reproducibility. The objectives of this study were to compare 12-month changes in body weight and composition in groups defined by diet and sex, and adherence to a healthy low carbohydrate (HLC) vs. healthy low fat (HLF) diet.

Participants/methods

This was a secondary analysis of the DIETFITS trial, in which 609 overweight/obese nondiabetic participants (age, 18–50 years) were randomized to a 12-month HLC (n = 304) or HLF (n = 305) diet. Our first aim concerned comparisons in 12-month changes in weight, fat mass, and lean mass by group with appropriate adjustment for potential confounders. The second aim was to assess whether or not adherence differed by diet-sex group (HLC women n = 179, HLC men n = 125, HLF women n = 167, HLF men n = 138).

Results

12-month changes in weight (p < 0.001) were different by group. HLC produced significantly greater weight loss, as well as greater loss of both fat mass and lean mass, than HLF among men [−2.98 kg (−4.47, −1.50); P < 0.001], but not among women. Men were more adherent to HLC than women (p = 0.02). Weight loss estimates within group remained similar after adjusting for adherence, suggesting adherence was not a mediator.

Conclusions

By reporting outcomes by sex significant weight loss differences were identified between HLC and HLF, which were not recognized in the original primary analysis. These findings highlight the need to consider sex in the design, analysis, and reporting of diet trials.

Barriers to eating are associated with poor physical function in older women

Older adults have physical and social barriers to eating but whether this affects functional status is unknown. We examined associations between eating barriers and physical function in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). In 2012-14, a subset of alive and participating women (n = 5910) completed an in-home examination including the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) (grip strength, balance, timed walking speed, chair stand). WHI participants complete annual mailed questionnaires; the 2013-14 questionnaire included items on eating alone, eating < two meals/day, dentition problems affecting eating, physical difficulties with cooking/shopping and monetary resources for food. Linear regression tested associations of these eating barriers with SPPB, adjusting for BMI, age, race/ethnicity, and medical multimorbidities. Over half (56.8%) of participants were ≥ 75 years, 98.8% had a BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m2 and 66% had multimorbidities. Eating barriers, excluding eating alone, were associated with significantly lower total (all p < .001) and component-specific, multivariate-adjusted SPPB scores (all p < .05). Compared to no barriers, eating < two meals/day (7.83 vs. 8.38, p < .0002), dentition problems (7.69 vs. 8.38, p < .0001), inability to shop/prepare meals (7.74 vs. 8.38, p < .0001) and insufficient resources (7.84 vs. 8.37 p < .001) were significantly associated with multivariate-adjusted mean SPPB score < 8. Models additionally adjusting for Healthy Eating Index-2010 had little influence on scores. As barriers increased, scores declined further for grip strength (16.10 kg for 4-5 barriers, p = .001), timed walk (0.58 m/s for 4-5 barriers, p = .001) and total SPPB (7.27 for 4-5 barriers, p < .0001). In conclusion, in this WHI subset, eating barriers were associated with poor SPPB scores.

Walking Volume and Speed Are Inversely Associated With Incidence of Treated Hypertension in Postmenopausal Women

Few studies have evaluated hypertension incidence in relation to walking, which is a common physical activity among adults. We examined the association between walking and hypertension incidence in 83 435 postmenopausal women who at baseline were aged 50 to 79 years, without known hypertension, heart failure, coronary heart disease, or stroke, and reported the ability to walk at least one block without assistance. Walking volume (metabolic equivalent hours per week) and speed (miles per hour) were assessed by questionnaire. Incident physician-diagnosed hypertension treated with medication was ascertained through annual questionnaires. During a mean 11-year follow-up, 38 230 hypertension cases were identified. After adjustment for covariates including nonwalking activities, a significant inverse association with hypertension was observed across categories of baseline walking volume (0 [referent], >0-3.5, 3.6-7.5, and >7.5 metabolic equivalent hours per week), hazard ratio: 1.00 (referent), 0.98, 0.95, 0.89; trend P<0.001. Faster walking speeds (<2, 2-3, 3-4, and >4 miles per hour) also were associated with lower hypertension risk, hazard ratio: 1.00 (referent), 1.07, 0.95, 0.86, 0.79; trend P<0.001. Further adjustment for walking duration (h/wk) had little impact on the association for walking speed (hazard ratio: 1.00 [referent], 1.08, 0.96, 0.86, 0.77; trend P<0.001). Significant inverse associations for walking volume and speed persisted after additional control for baseline blood pressure. Results for time-varying walking were comparable to those for baseline exposures. This study showed that walking at guideline-recommended volumes (>7.5 metabolic equivalent hours per week) and at faster speeds (≥2 miles per hour) is associated with lower hypertension risk in postmenopausal women. Walking should be encouraged as part of hypertension prevention in older adults.

Physical Activity Trajectories and Associated Changes in Physical Performance in Older Men: The MrOS Study

BACKGROUND

Physical activity (PA) is important to maintaining functional independence. It is not clear how patterns of change in late-life PA are associated with contemporaneous changes in physical performance measures.

METHODS

Self-reported PA, gait speed, grip strength, timed chair stand, and leg power were assessed in 3,865 men aged ≥ 65 years at baseline (2000-2002) and Year 7 (2007-2009). Group-based trajectory modeling, using up to four PA measures over this period, identified PA trajectories. Multivariate linear regression models (adjusted least square mean [95% confidence interval {CI}]) described associations between-PA trajectories and concurrent changes in performance.

RESULTS

Three discrete PA patterns were identified, all with declining PA. Linear declines in each performance measure (baseline to Year 7) were observed across all three PA groups, but there was some variability in the rate of decline. Multivariate models assessing the graded response by PA trajectory showed a trend where the high-activity group had the smallest declines in performance while the low-activity group had the largest (p-for trend < .03). Changes in the high-activity group were the following: gait speed (-0.10 m/s [-0.12, -0.08]), grip strength (-3.79 kg [-4.35, -3.23]), and chair stands (-0.38 [-0.50, -0.25]), whereas changes in the low-activity group were the following: gait speed (-0.16 [-0.17, -0.14]), grip strength (-4.83 kg [-5.10, -4.55]), and chair stands (-0.53 [-0.59, -0.46]). Between-group differences in leg power trajectories across PA patterns were not significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Declines in functional performance were higher among those with lower PA trajectories, providing further evidence for the interrelationship between changes in PA and performance during old age.

Accelerometer-Measured Sleep Duration and Clinical Cardiovascular Risk Factor Scores in Older Women

BACKGROUND

Evidence suggests that short and long sleep durations are potential lifestyle factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Research on sleep duration and CVD risk is limited by use of self-report sleep measures, homogeneous populations, and studies on individual CVD risk factors. For women, risk of CVD and inadequate sleep duration increases with age. We hypothesized that accelerometer-measured sleep duration was associated with 10-year predicted probability of future CVD risk in a cohort of aging women.

METHODS

This cross-sectional analysis included 3,367 older women (mean age 78.9 years; 53.3% White), from the Objective Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health Study, ancillary study to the Women's Health Initiative. Women wore ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers on the hip for 24 hours/7 days. A 10-year predicted probability of future CVD risk, the Reynolds Risk Score (RRS), was computed using age, systolic blood pressure, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), total and HDL cholesterol, diabetes mellitus status, smoking status, and family history of CVD. Average nightly sleep duration was derived from accelerometer data. Adjusted linear regression models investigated the association between sleep duration and RRS.

RESULTS

Results suggested a U-shaped relationship between sleep duration and RRS, with both short and long sleep associated with higher RRS (p < .001). The association remained significant after adjustments for race/ethnicity, education, lifestyle factors, and health status indicators.

CONCLUSION

In older women, actigraphy-ascertained sleep duration was associated with a 10-year predicted probability of future CVD risk. This study supports sleep duration as a modifiable risk factor for CVD in older women.

Serial Bone Density Measurement and Incident Fracture Risk Discrimination in Postmenopausal Women

IMPORTANCE

Repeated bone mineral density (BMD) testing to screen for osteoporosis requires resources. For patient counseling and optimal resource use, it is important for clinicians to know whether repeated BMD measurement (compared with baseline BMD measurement alone) improves the ability to discriminate between postmenopausal women who will and will not experience a fracture.

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether a second BMD measurement approximately 3 years after the initial assessment is associated with improved ability to estimate fracture risk beyond the baseline BMD measurement alone.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

The Women's Health Initiative is a prospective observational study. Participants in the present cohort study included 7419 women with a mean (SD) follow-up of 12.1 (3.4) years between 1993 and 2010 at 3 US clinical centers. Data analysis was conducted between May 2019 and December 2019.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Incident major osteoporotic fracture (ie, hip, clinical spine, forearm, or shoulder fracture), hip fracture, baseline BMD, and absolute change in BMD were assessed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AU-ROC) for baseline BMD, absolute change in BMD, and the combination of baseline BMD and change in BMD were calculated to assess incident fracture risk discrimination during follow-up.

RESULTS

Of 7419 participants, the mean (SD) age at baseline was 66.1 (7.2) years, the mean (SD) body mass index was 28.7 (6.0), and 1720 (23%) were nonwhite individuals. During the study follow-up (mean [SD] 9.0 [3.5] years after the second BMD measurement), 139 women (1.9%) experienced hip fractures, and 732 women (9.9%) experienced major osteoporotic fracture. In discriminating between women who experience hip fractures and those who do not, AU-ROC values were 0.71 (95% CI, 0.67-0.75) for baseline total hip BMD, 0.61 (95% CI, 0.56-0.65) for change in total hip BMD, and 0.73 (95% CI, 0.69-0.77) for the combination of baseline total hip BMD and change in total hip BMD. Femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD values had similar discrimination for hip fracture. For discrimination of major osteoporotic fracture, AU-ROC values were 0.61 (95% CI, 0.59-0.63) for baseline total hip BMD, 0.53 (95% CI, 0.51-0.55) for change in total hip BMD, and 0.61 (95% CI, 0.59-0.63) for the combination of baseline total hip BMD and change in total hip BMD. Femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD values had similar ability to discriminate between women who experienced major osteoporotic fracture and those who did not. Associations between change in bone density and fracture risk did not differ by subgroup, including diabetes, age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, or baseline BMD T score.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The findings of this study suggest that a second BMD assessment approximately 3 years after the initial measurement was not associated with improved discrimination between women who did and did not experience subsequent hip fracture or major osteoporotic fracture beyond the baseline BMD value alone and should not routinely be performed.

Reproductive history and osteoarthritis in the Women's Health Initiative

Objective: To investigate the relationship between self-reported osteoarthritis (OA) and reproductive factors in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). Method: We used multivariable logistic regression to study the association of self-reported OA and reproductive factors in the WHI Observational Study and Clinical Trial cohorts of 145 965 postmenopausal women, in a retrospective cross-sectional format. Results: In our cohort, we observed no clinically significant associations between reproductive factors and OA given small effect sizes. The following factors were associated with statistically significant increased likelihood of developing OA: younger age at menarche (p < 0.001), history of hysterectomy [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.013, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.004-1.022, p = 0.04 vs no hysterectomy], history of unilateral oophorectomy (aOR 1.015, 95% CI 1.004-1.026, p < 0.01 vs no oophorectomy), parity (aOR 1.017, 95% CI 1.009-1.026, p < 0.001), ever use of oral contraceptives (aOR 1.008, 95% CI 1.001-1.016, p < 0.01 vs never use), and current use of hormonal therapy (reference current users, aOR 0.951, 95% CI 0.943-0.959 for never users; aOR 0.981, 95% CI 0.972-0.989 for past users; global p < 0.001). Age at menopause, first birth, and pregnancy were not associated with OA. Among parous women, no clear pattern was observed with number of pregnancies, births, or duration of breastfeeding in relation to OA. Conclusion: Our study showed that reproductive factors did not have significant clinical associations with OA after controlling for confounders. This may be due to complex hormonal effects. Additional investigation is warranted in prospective cohort studies. The Women's Health Initiative is registered under ClinicalTrials.gov. Trial registration ID: NCT00000611.

Association of Menopausal Hormone Therapy With Breast Cancer Incidence and Mortality During Long-term Follow-up of the Women's Health Initiative Randomized Clinical Trials

IMPORTANCE

The influence of menopausal hormone therapy on breast cancer remains unsettled with discordant findings from observational studies and randomized clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the association of prior randomized use of estrogen plus progestin or prior randomized use of estrogen alone with breast cancer incidence and mortality in the Women's Health Initiative clinical trials.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Long-term follow-up of 2 placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials that involved 27 347 postmenopausal women aged 50 through 79 years with no prior breast cancer and negative baseline screening mammogram. Women were enrolled at 40 US centers from 1993 to 1998 with follow-up through December 31, 2017.

INTERVENTIONS

In the trial involving 16 608 women with a uterus, 8506 were randomized to receive 0.625 mg/d of conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) plus 2.5 mg/d of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and 8102, placebo. In the trial involving 10 739 women with prior hysterectomy, 5310 were randomized to receive 0.625 mg/d of CEE alone and 5429, placebo. The CEE-plus-MPA trial was stopped in 2002 after 5.6 years' median intervention duration, and the CEE-only trial was stopped in 2004 after 7.2 years' median intervention duration.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was breast cancer incidence (protocol prespecified primary monitoring outcome for harm) and secondary outcomes were deaths from breast cancer and deaths after breast cancer.

RESULTS

Among 27 347 postmenopausal women who were randomized in both trials (baseline mean [SD] age, 63.4 years [7.2 years]), after more than 20 years of median cumulative follow-up, mortality information was available for more than 98%. CEE alone compared with placebo among 10 739 women with a prior hysterectomy was associated with statistically significantly lower breast cancer incidence with 238 cases (annualized rate, 0.30%) vs 296 cases (annualized rate, 0.37%; hazard ratio [HR], 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65-0.93; P = .005) and was associated with statistically significantly lower breast cancer mortality with 30 deaths (annualized mortality rate, 0.031%) vs 46 deaths (annualized mortality rate, 0.046%; HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.37-0.97; P = .04). In contrast, CEE plus MPA compared with placebo among 16 608 women with a uterus was associated with statistically significantly higher breast cancer incidence with 584 cases (annualized rate, 0.45%) vs 447 cases (annualized rate, 0.36%; HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.13-1.45; P < .001) and no significant difference in breast cancer mortality with 71 deaths (annualized mortality rate, 0.045%) vs 53 deaths (annualized mortality rate, 0.035%; HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 0.94-1.95; P= .11).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In this long-term follow-up study of 2 randomized trials, prior randomized use of CEE alone, compared with placebo, among women who had a previous hysterectomy, was significantly associated with lower breast cancer incidence and lower breast cancer mortality, whereas prior randomized use of CEE plus MPA, compared with placebo, among women who had an intact uterus, was significantly associated with a higher breast cancer incidence but no significant difference in breast cancer mortality.

Resilience and CVD-protective Health Behaviors in Older Women: Examining Racial and Ethnic Differences in a Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Women's Health Initiative

Little is known about the relationship between self-reported psychological resilience (resilience) and health behaviors shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study examines the associations between resilience and CVD-related risk factors, such as diet, smoking, physical activity, sleep, and alcohol consumption among older American women from diverse backgrounds.

METHODS

A cross-sectional secondary analysis was conducted on 77,395 women (mean age 77 years, Black (N = 4475, 5.8%), non-Hispanic white (N = 69,448, 89.7%), Latina (N = 1891, 2.4%), and Asian or Pacific Islander (N = 1581, 2.0%)) enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Extension Study II. Resilience was measured using an abbreviated version of the brief resilience scale. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between resilience and health behaviors associated with risk for CVD, while adjusting for stressful life events and sociodemographic information. To test whether these associations varied among racial/ethnic groups, an interaction term was added to the fully adjusted models between resilience and race/ethnicity.

RESULTS

High levels of resilience were associated with better diet quality (top 2 quintiles of the Healthy Eating Index 2015) (OR = 1.22 (95% Confidence Interval (1.15-1.30)), adhering to recommended physical activity (≥ 150 min per week) (1.56 (1.47, 1.66)), sleeping the recommended hours per night (7-9) (1.36 (1.28-1.44)), and moderate alcohol intake (consuming alcoholic drink(s) 1-7 days per week) (1.28 (1.20-1.37)). The observed association between resilience and sleep is modified by race/ethnicity (p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

Irrespective of race/ethnicity, high resilience was associated with CVD-protective health behaviors. This warrants further investigation into whether interventions aimed at improving resilience could increase the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions.

Diurnal patterns of sedentary behavior and changes in physical function over time among older women: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Sedentary behavior (SB) is linked to negative health outcomes in older adults. Most studies use summary values, e.g., total sedentary minutes/day. Diurnal timing of SB accumulation may further elucidate SB-health associations.

METHODS

Six thousand two hundred four US women (mean age = 79 ± 7; 50% White, 34% African-American) wore accelerometers for 7-days at baseline, yielding 41,356 person-days with > 600 min/day of data. Annual follow-up assessments of health, including physical functioning, were collected from participants for 6 years. A novel two-phase clustering procedure discriminated participants' diurnal SB patterns: phase I grouped day-level SB trajectories using longitudinal k-means; phase II determined diurnal SB patterns based on proportion of phase I trajectories using hierarchical clustering. Mixed models tested associations between SB patterns and longitudinal physical functioning, adjusted for covariates including total sedentary time. Effect modification by moderate-vigorous-physical activity (MVPA) was tested.

RESULTS

Four diurnal SB patterns were identified: p1 = high-SB-throughout-the-day; p2 = moderate-SB-with-lower-morning-SB; p3 = moderate-SB-with-higher-morning-SB; p4 = low-SB-throughout-the-day. High MVPA mitigated physical functioning decline and correlated with better baseline and 6-year trajectory of physical functioning across patterns. In low MVPA, p2 had worse 6-year physical functioning decline compared to p1 and p4. In high MVPA, p2 had similar 6-year physical functioning decline compared to p1, p3, and p4.

CONCLUSIONS

In a large cohort of older women, diurnal SB patterns were associated with rates of physical functioning decline, independent of total sedentary time. In particular, we identified a specific diurnal SB subtype defined by less SB earlier and more SB later in the day, which had the steepest decline in physical functioning among participants with low baseline MVPA. Thus, diurnal timing of SB, complementary to total sedentary time and MVPA, may offer additional insights into associations between SB and physical health, and provide physicians with early warning of patients at high-risk of physical function decline.

Comparison of Mortality Among Participants of Women's Health Initiative Trials With Screening-Detected Breast Cancers vs Interval Breast Cancers

IMPORTANCE

Interval breast cancers (IBCs) are cancers that emerge after a mammogram with negative results but before the patient's next scheduled screening. Interval breast cancer has a worse prognosis than cancers detected by screening; however, it is unknown whether the length of the interscreening period is associated with prognostic features and mortality.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the prognostic features and mortality rate of women with IBCs diagnosed within 1 year or between 1 and 2.5 years of a mammogram with negative results with the prognostic features and mortality rate of women with breast cancers detected by screening.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study used mammography data, tumor characteristics, and patient demographic data from the Women's Health Initiative study, which recruited participants from 1993 to 1998 and followed up with participants for a median of 19 years. The present study sample for these analyses included women aged 50 to 79 years who participated in the Women's Health Initiative study and includes data collected through March 31, 2018. There were 5455 incidents of breast cancer; only 3019 women compliant with screening were retained in analyses. Statistical analysis was performed from October 25, 2018, to November 24, 2019. Breast cancers detected by screening and IBCs were defined based on mammogram history, date of last mammogram, type of visit, and results of examination. Interval breast cancers were subdivided into those occurring within 1 year or between 1 and 2.5 years after the last protocol-mandated mammogram with negative results.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome of this study was breast cancer-specific mortality for each case of breast cancer detected by screening and IBCs detected within 1 year or between 1 and 2.5 years from a mammogram with negative results. Secondary outcomes included prognostic and tumor characteristics for each group. Comparisons between groups were made using the t test, the χ2 test, and Fine-Gray multivariable cumulative incidence regression analyses.

RESULTS

Among the 3019 participants in this analysis, all were women with a mean (SD) age of 63.1 (6.8) years at enrollment and 68.5 (7.1) years at diagnosis. A total of 1050 cases of IBC were identified, with 324 (30.9%) diagnosed within 1 year from a mammogram with negative results and 726 (69.1%) diagnosed between 1 and 2.5 years after last mammogram with negative results. The remaining 1969 cases were breast cancers detected by screening. Interval breast cancers diagnosed within 1 year from a mammogram with negative results had significantly more lobular histologic characteristics (13.0% vs. 8.1%), a larger tumor size (1.97 cm vs 1.43 cm), a higher clinical stage (28.4% vs 17.3% regional and 3.7% vs 0.6% distant), and more lymph node involvement (27.1% vs 17.0%) than cancers detected by screening. Unadjusted breast cancer-specific mortality hazard ratios were significantly higher for IBCs diagnosed within 1 year from a mammogram with negative results compared with breast cancers detected by screening (hazard ratio, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.39-2.65). Higher breast cancer-specific mortality remained statistically significant for IBCs diagnosed within 1 year after adjusting for trial group, molecular subtype, waist to hip ratio, histologic characteristics, and either tumor size (hazard ratio, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.03-2.08) or lymph node involvement (hazard ratio, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.03-2.01). However, significance was lost when tumor size and lymph node involvement were both included in the model (hazard ratio, 1.34; 95% CI, 0.96-1.88). Interval breast cancers diagnosed between 1 and 2.5 years from a mammogram with negative results were not different from breast cancers detected by screening based on prognostic factors or mortality.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Women with IBCs diagnosed within 1 year of negative mammogram results overall were associated with worse survival than women with breast cancers detected by screening. These differences in survival may be due to a uniquely aggressive biology among IBC cases.

Physical activity and risk of bladder cancer among postmenopausal women

Physical activity is associated with decreased risk for many cancers. Studies on the association between physical activity and risk of bladder cancer are limited, and findings are inconsistent. Postmenopausal women (mean age = 63.3) were recruited into the Women's Health Initiative from 1993 to 1998. Self-reported baseline information on physical activity and other covariates were available in 141 288 participants. Incident bladder cancer cases were collected through 2018 and centrally adjudicated. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined by Cox proportional hazard regression models. Effect modification due to smoking was assessed. During an average of 18.5 years of follow-up, 817 bladder cancer cases were identified. Compared to physically inactive women, those who engaged in ≥15 MET-hours/week of total physical activity, ≥8.75 MET-hours/week of walking or ≥11.25 MET-hours/week of moderate to vigorous physical activity had lower risk of bladder cancer (HR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.59-0.94, P for linear trend = .02; HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.63-0.98, P for linear trend = .03; and HR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.61-0.94, P for linear trend = .02, respectively). No effect modification was found by smoking status (P for interaction = .06, 0.91 and 0.27, respectively). We found that total physical activity, walking and moderate to vigorous physical activity were inversely associated with bladder cancer incidence among postmenopausal women in a dose-response manner. Physical activity may play a potential role in the primary prevention of bladder cancer. Further studies with objective measurements of physical activity are needed to confirm these findings.

Performance of the IBIS/Tyrer-Cuzick (TC) Model by race/ethnicity in the Women’s Health Initiative

1503

Background: The TC model, a breast cancer (BC) risk assessment tool based on family cancer history, reproductive and lifestyle factors is used to guide BC screening and prevention. TC was developed and validated largely in non-Hispanic White (NHW) women. We evaluated the calibration and discrimination of TC version 7.02 among racially/ethnically diverse post-menopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) clinical trials or observational study. Methods: WHI enrolled post-menopausal women from 1993-1998 and followed them prospectively for BC incidence. We included women aged ≤80 years at enrollment with no prior BC or mastectomy and with data required for TC, including weight, height, ages at menarche, first birth and menopause, menopausal hormone therapy use and family history of breast or ovarian cancer in first or second-degree relatives. Calibration was assessed by the ratio of observed BC cases to the number expected by TC (O/E), with expected cases calculated as the sum of cumulative hazards. We tested for differential discrimination by race/ethnicity (NHW, African American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American, other) using Cox regression. Time to BC was modeled using age, race/ethnicity, TC estimate (transformed by log of relative lifetime risk), and a term for interaction between race/ethnicity and TC estimate. Results: During the follow-up period (median 18.9 years, maximum 23.4 years), 6,836 new BC cases were diagnosed among 91,893 women. TC was well-calibrated overall (O/E 0.95) in NHW and African Americans, but over-estimated risk for Hispanics (O/E 0.75, Table). Results suggested good calibration for Asian/Pacific Islanders and Native Americans, but sample sizes were small. Discrimination did not differ significantly by race/ethnicity (two-sided p-value for interaction = 0.33). Conclusions: TC provided similar risk discrimination among post-menopausal women of different racial/ethnic groups over nearly 20 years of follow-up; however, it overestimated risk for Hispanics. Future studies in diverse populations are warranted, with need for a more accurate breast cancer risk assessment tool for Hispanics. [Table: see text]

Individual and joint trajectories of change in bone, lean mass and physical performance in older men

BACKGROUND

Declines in bone, muscle and physical performance are associated with adverse health outcomes in older adults. However, few studies have described concurrent age-related patterns of change in these factors. The purpose of this study was to characterize change in four properties of muscle, physical performance, and bone in a prospective cohort study of older men.

METHODS

Using repeated longitudinal data from up to four visits across 6.9 years from up to 4681 men (mean age at baseline 72.7 yrs. ±5.3) participating in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study, we used group-based trajectory models (PROC TRAJ in SAS) to identify age-related patterns of change in four properties of muscle, physical performance, and bone: total hip bone mineral (BMD) density (g/m²) and appendicular lean mass/ht² (kg/m²), by DXA; grip strength (kg), by hand dynamometry; and walking speed (m/s), by usual walking pace over 6 m. We also described joint trajectories in all pair-wise combinations of these measures. Mean posterior probabilities of placement in each trajectory (or joint membership in latent groups) were used to assess internal reliability of the model. The number of trajectories for each individual factor was limited to three, to ensure that the pair-wise determination of joint trajectories would yield a tractable number of groups as well as model fit considerations.

RESULTS

The patterns of change identified were generally similar for all measures, with three district groups declining over time at roughly similar rates; joint trajectories revealed similar patterns with no cross-over or convergence between groups. Mean posterior probabilities for all trajectories were similar and consistently above 0.8 indicating reasonable model fit to the data.

CONCLUSIONS

Our description of trajectories of change with age in bone mineral density, grip strength, walking speed and appendicular lean mass found that groups identified by these methods appeared to have little crossover or convergence of change with age, even when considering joint trajectories of change in these factors.