Cavaliers who develop cancer are less likely to survive than married men – 40 440-year-old observations have shown. Norwegians aged 30-89, whose results have been published in the latest edition of BMC Public Heath.
Hakon Kravdal, one of the authors of the study, says that the difference in survival rates between the two groups of men increases with age. While in 1970 single men with cancer lived an average of 18 percent. shorter than married men, in 2007 it was already 35 percent.
Single women also give up the fight against cancer faster, but compared to married women, the difference in their survival rate is smaller and does not change.
Experts suspect that in other countries single people with cancer also live shorter lives. Linda Waite, a sociologist at the University of Chicago, said in a statement to Reuters that in the US the difference in survival rates between the two groups of patients may be even greater due to the different healthcare system. It gives good care, but only to those who have access to it, she emphasized. Meanwhile, medical care is widely available in Norway.
Hakon Kravdal suspects that single people are generally worse off when cancer is diagnosed. Other studies suggest that people who have never had a permanent relationship with anyone are also more likely to suffer from other conditions and live shorter lives, even compared to those who have divorced.
Norwegian scientists have calculated that, over the years, single men with cancer are less likely to fight the disease. With each decade they become ill, on average they live with cancer by 3,4%. shorter than married men.
Kravdal emphasizes that marriage has a beneficial effect on the health of both spouses, but especially on the health of men. Because women, incl. motivate their husbands to take better care of their health. In his opinion, in the future, marriage will have an even greater impact on people’s health in an increasingly individual society. (PAP)