Coronary risk factors and socioeconomic status in Eastern Finland

Known CHD risk factors are strongly related to behavior and are rooted in cultural and social patterns. For any preventive community program, it is essential to clarify the connection between these risk factors and the socioeconomic situation of the given population. Before launching a comprehensive cardiovascular community program in North Karelia, a county in Eastern Finland with the world's highest known incidence rates of CHD, a large baseline survey was carried out on a representative sample of the population with a participation rate of 90%. Lower socioeconomic status (rural living, lower educational level and income, heavy physical work) was generally associated with CHD risk factors, i.e., smoking, high serum cholesterol, and high blood pressure, although with regard to blood pressure, the association was weak for men. The main departure was observed among women, where smoking in general was rare and was mainly associated with higher socioeconomic status. The findings are in agreement with current knowledge about the occurrence of the disease in the same population. The findings in Eastern Finland are discussed in the light of previous studies and possible social change during the last year.