Gender and social patterning of health: the Norsjö cardiovascular preventive programme in northern Sweden 1985-1990

Abstract

Objective: To assess the extent to which the impact of social stratification on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors was different among men and women.

Design: Pooled data from six (1985-90) cross-sectional health surveys.

Setting: The intervention area is an inland municipality, Norsjö, in northern Sweden with a population of 5,300 inhabitants.

Main outcome measures: Smoking, high blood pressure, hypercholesterolaemia, and perceived health status.

Results: Almost half of the study population had hypercholesterolaemia (> or = 6.5 mmol/l), 19% of men and 25% of women were smokers, and 30% and 29%, respectively, had hypertension. Age had a strong impact on all outcome measures. Social factors were associated with smoking in women and with hypercholesterolaemia in men. There were no sex differences in perceived good health. The likelihood of self-assessed good health decreased with increasing risk factor load, with the exception of hypercholesterolaemia, in all social strata.

Conclusion: The present study implies the importance of considering age, gender, and social differences in intervention and evaluation of CVD preventive programmes. The study also demonstrate that self-defined health contains important information on cardiovascular risk profile.