[Socio-economic status, life style, biological risk factors and cardiovascular diseases.]

The goal of this study was to describe socio-economic differences in (risk factors for) cardiovascular diseases and in clustering of risk factors. For this investigation data from the Netherlands Monitoring Risk Factor Project were used. The study population consists of 36,588 men and women, aged 20 - 60 years. Men and women with lower socio-economic status had a less healthy lifestyle (smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity) and a higher prevalence of biological risk factors (obesity, hypercholesterolemia and hypertension). The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases was lower for the higher educated than for the lower educated. The differences could to a certain degree be explained by the differences in life style and in biological risk factors.WVC/Programma-Commissie Sociaal-Economische Gezondheidsverschille