Determinants of Cardiovascular Diseases and Mortality in Individuals with Eastern and Western European Background

Christian Wegner-Siegmundt, Wittgenstein Centre (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU)
George B. Ploubidis, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
Marc Luy, Wittgenstein Centre (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU)

The aim of our study is to identify important determinants of long-term changes in the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and all-cause mortality among elderly individuals who were socialized in western and eastern European regimes. We use the two-wave panel of the German Life Expectancy Survey to analyse the sex-stratified impact of life conditions among individuals aged 50 and older around and after German reunification. Whereas among western Germans the occurrence of CVD at baseline is significantly related to lower social class, such an effect was not observed in the eastern German subsample. Mortality is significant related to age, sportive inactivity and smoking. We found that the drivers of CVD and mortality were determined by eastern or western European background. Thus, our study indicates that past influences of the different political systems have at least partly different effects on the wellbeing and the longevity of individuals.