Association of cardiovascular disease risk factors with socioeconomic position during childhood and during adulthood

Abstract

Objective: To investigate strength of associations between risk factors for cardiovascular disease and socioeconomic position during childhood and adulthood. Design: Cross sectional analysis of status of cardiovascular risk factors and past and present social circumstances. Subjects: 5645 male participants in the west of Scotland collaborative study, a workplace screening study. Main outcome measures: Strength of association between each risk factor for cardiovascular disease (diastolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol concentration, level of recreational physical exercise, cigarette smoking, body mass index, and FEV1 score (forced expiratory volume in one second as percentage of expected value) and social class during childhood (based on father's main occupation) and adulthood (based on own occupation at time of screening). Results: All the measured risk factors were significantly associated with both father's and own social class (PConclusions: Subjects' status for behavioural risk factors (exercise and smoking) was associated primarily with current socioeconomic circumstances, while status for physiological risk factors (serum cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, and FEV1) was associated to varying extents with both past and present socioeconomic circumstances. We examined associations between six such risk factors and working men's social conditions during childhood and adulthood; the risk factors varied in the strength of their associations with childhood and adult conditions Behavioural risk factors (cigarette smoking and recreational physical exercise) were more strongly associated with adult circumstances Physiological risk factors (diastolic blood pres- sure, serum cholesterol concentration, FEV1 score, and body mass index) were associated to varying degrees with both childhood and adult circum- stances except for body mass index, which seemed unrelated to the latter The authors conclude that, as most of the main risk factors varied with adult social conditions, it is likely that they can be modified at this time