Lack of Association of Psychosocial Variables with Natural Killer Cell Activity in a Native Hawaiian Population

Abstract

Native Hawaiians may be more susceptible to cancer and infectious disease. We examined the influence of psychosocial variables on natural killer cell activity (NKCA) in Hawaiians. NKCA was measured in 264 subjects, of whom 172 were Hawaiian and 54 had cancer. This was correlated with a broad range of psychosocial variables that were measured utilizing visual analog scales and other tests. Diminished NKCA was not found in this Hawaiian population. Smoking was the only variable significantly associated with reduced NKCA (p < .01). In general, psychosocial variables, including depression and social support, were not found to correlate with NKCA in Hawaiians.