Effects of Exercise on the Type A (Coronary Prone) Behavior Pattern1

Abstract

This study presents the initial findings of an attempt to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in a group of health, middle-aged adults by participation in a ten-week, supervised exercise program. Forty-six subjects were classified as Type A or Type B based on their scores on the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS). Measures of physiologic (blood pressure, serum lipids, body weight, plasminogen activator release, and treadmill performance) and psychologic (scores on the JAS) variables were obtained before and after the exercise program. Subjects were able to successfully reduce the physiologic cardiovascular risk factors. Moreover, Type A subjects lowered their scores on the JAS Type A scale after training, while the scores of the Type B subjected remained unchanged. It is concluded that a supervised program of regular exercise can successfully modify the physiological and psychological variables associated with increased risk for CHD in a nonclinical sample of healthy adults.