Systolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol and smoking in relation to sociological factors and myocardial infarction

In a study of 96 randomly selected male subjects between 40 and 60 yr of age a set of sociological variables and age were studied in relation to each of the variables systolic blood pressure, cigarette smoking and serum cholesterol. Low-order correlations were found. Systolic blood pressure, however, co-varied significantly with discrepancy between social group and educational level, the “self-made man” having higher blood pressure level. Cigarette smoking co-varied with reports of conflicts with teachers during school years.