Contextual effects of social fragmentation and material deprivation on risk of myocardial infarction--results from the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Program (SHEEP)

Abstract

Our findings support the notion that the social context in which people live has an impact on the risk of coronary heart disease. We could not determine which of the contextual aspects under study made the most substantial contribution. Mutual adjustment of the two indices suggests that material deprivation is the dominating factor, especially for women. However, the indices were highly correlated (r = 0.87), and it cannot be ruled out that they partly measure the same underlying phenomenon.