Psychosocial and environmental correlates of coronary-prone behavior in Finland

Coronary-prone behavior pattern was studied in a Finnish population sample consisting of 11364 adults in a questionnaire-based short rating scale developed by Bortner and found that A-type persons were more extrovert and their life satisfaction was greater.

Abstract

Coronary-prone behavior pattern was studied in a Finnish population sample consisting of 11364 adults (5419 males and 5945 females). A questionnaire-based short rating scale developed by Bortner was used. The distribution of the study population on the A-B axis was unimodal with no distinctive grouping into A- and B-types. Age-specific mean scores were highest in 30–40 yr olds. The highest and lowest deciles were designated to represent type A and type B respectively. A-type men were more often married, self-employed or in white collar work, and had larger incomes and more changes of residence. A-type persons were more extrovert and their life satisfaction was greater. A-type men slept less on average than B-type men. A-type persons experienced their daily activities more tiring, but their work less monotonous. A-type persons used spirits a little more often and smoked slightly more cigarettes. B-type persons spent more time on leisure-time physical activity, both the time spent per session and the frequency of sessions being greater. In this cross-sectional study the A-type men reported more often a history of myocardial infarction diagnosed by a physician (2.0 vs 0.6%, ns) and severe chest pain in the Rose questionnaire (8.7% vs 5.3%, p < 0.05) compared to the B-type men, as well as a higher prevalence of Rose-positive angina pectoris (7.5% vs 5.7%, ns). The study cohort is being followed-up for incidence of coronary heart disease events and mortality.