# Quick accomplishment and responsiveness were associated with a lower risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease among Japanese older men: the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study

## TL;DR

Behaviors like quick accomplishment and responsiveness were linked to lower cardiovascular disease mortality risk, especially in older Japanese men.

## Contribution

This study identifies specific time-related behaviors associated with reduced CVD mortality in a large Japanese cohort.

## Key findings

- Quick accomplishment was linked to lower CVD mortality in women and marginally in men.
- Combining quick accomplishment and responsiveness reduced CVD mortality risk in older men.
- The protective effect was strongest in men aged 60–79 with both behaviors.

## Abstract

Quick accomplishment and responsiveness are behaviors related to time management by perceived control of time, such as a positive feeling of using one’s time well. In recent years, positive psychological states have been associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Thus, we investigated the associations of quick accomplishment and responsiveness with CVD mortality in a large cohort study.

The study participants were 75,049 (30,901 men and 44,148 women) aged 40–79 between 1988 and 1990 and followed until the end of 2009. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of mortality from CVD according to quick accomplishment, responsiveness, and their combination were calculated after adjustment for potential confounding factors using the Cox proportional hazard model.

Quick accomplishment was associated with a lower risk of CVD mortality in women; a similar but marginally significant association was observed in men; the respective multivariable HR (95%CI) was 0.91 (0.83–0.99) and 0.93 (0.86–1.01). The presence of both quick accomplishment and responsiveness was associated with lower risk in men, which was confined to men aged 60–79; the respective multivariable HR (95%CI) was 0.88 (0.78–0.99) and 0.83 (0.72–0.96).

Quick accomplishment was associated with a lower risk of CVD mortality. Quick accomplishment and responsiveness combined were inversely associated with CVD mortality risk among older men.

The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1265/ehpm.24-00323.