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Public Health

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Theses/Dissertations

Women's Health Initiative

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Association Of Birth Weight And Preterm Birth With Subsequent Risk For Hypertension In Women From The Women’S Health Initiative, Christian P. Daniele Aug 2023

Association Of Birth Weight And Preterm Birth With Subsequent Risk For Hypertension In Women From The Women’S Health Initiative, Christian P. Daniele

Masters Theses

Hypertension is a chronic disease with an estimated prevalence of nearly 50% in US adults. In addition to sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, evidence suggests that in utero and early life exposures may contribute to life-long risk of hypertension. This study aimed to investigate the potential associations between an individual’s birthweight and preterm birth status with their risk for hypertension in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) cohort. WHI is a large, multi-racial cohort of postmenopausal women. At study entry, birthweight and preterm birth status were self-reported by category (< 6 lbs., 6-7 lbs. 15 oz., 8-9 lbs. 15 oz., or ≥ 10 lbs.; ≥ 4 weeks premature or full term). Baseline and incident hypertension status were self-reported; mean systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and 30-second pulse were also recorded at baseline by trained study staff. Linear, logistic, and Cox-proportional hazards regression models were used to generate crude and adjusted beta estimates, odds ratios, and hazards ratios, respectively. After adjusting for demographic and lifestyle factors, we found that participants born at a low birthweight had a higher mean systolic blood pressure than participants born at a normal birthweight and were at increased risk for both baseline and incident hypertension. Women born at a higher birthweight had a lower mean systolic blood pressure and were at lower risk for baseline and incident hypertension. When compared to participants born full term, participants born preterm were at increased risk for baseline and incident hypertension. These results support current research on early life exposures and health risks later in life. Long term follow-up or targeted counseling may be required for individuals born prematurely or at low birthweights to prevent and treat hypertension and associated cardiovascular outcomes.


Antipsychotic Drug Use And Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk In The Women’S Health Initiative (Whi): A Prospective Cohort Study, Anna George Jul 2019

Antipsychotic Drug Use And Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk In The Women’S Health Initiative (Whi): A Prospective Cohort Study, Anna George

Masters Theses

Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer and the second leading cause of mortality, affecting 1 in 9 women in the United States. Recent studies have shown that antipsychotic drug use is associated with increased prolactin levels, which, in turn, is associated with increased risk of breast cancer. However, studies of the association between antipsychotic drug use and the risk of breast cancer are sparse and have largely been conducted in homogenous populations. Therefore, we evaluated this relationship in postmenopausal women (N = 119 524) in a diverse population of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) cohort. Antipsychotic drug …


Antidepressant Use And Risk Of Colorectal Cancer In The Women's Health Initative, Jenna F. Kiridly Jul 2016

Antidepressant Use And Risk Of Colorectal Cancer In The Women's Health Initative, Jenna F. Kiridly

Masters Theses

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among U.S. women; 63,610 new cases were estimated to have occurred in 2015. Prior studies found a reduced risk of colorectal cancer among antidepressant (AD) users, however, none adjusted for depression, which is itself linked to increased colorectal cancer risk and could confound this relationship. We assessed the relationship between ADs and AD drug classes with risk of colorectal cancer in a prospective cohort of 145,190 women between the ages of 50-79 without a previous history of cancer at enrollment. Current AD use was assessed at baseline. Over an average follow-up of …