[Social class and risk factors for coronary heart disease--results of the Regional DHP(German Cardiovascular Prevention) Health Surveys].

Prior to the start of the intervention activities in the five study regions of the German Cardiovascular Prevention Study (GCP), health surveys of representative samples of the population (25 to 69 years) were carried out between 1984 and 1986. In all, 11,527 persons participated in the study. Important socio-structural differences existed between the five study regions. An ecological analysis relating social class characteristics to the prevalence of CHD-risk factors did not show any significant findings. However, a pooling of the data of the five study regions resulted in the demonstration, for both sexes, of a significant association of social class with cigarette smoking and overweight. Hypertension and hypercholesterolemia were not related to social class. The proportion of persons with three or more CHD-risk factors was clearly higher in lower social classes. These findings point to the need for risk factor intervention strategies focusing more on the lower social classes in order to achieve more adequate prevention of coronary heart disease.