Environmental factors
Social class
Prior to the 1950s, coronary heart disease was more common among social classes I and II but in the 1950s a cross-over occurred.
Among men, the death rate from coronary heart disease is about 58% higher for those who are manual workers than for men who are non-manual workers. Among women the rate is 100% higher among manual groups compared with non-manual groups.
The social class gap in coronary heart disease mortality rates has steadily widened since the 1970s among men and has been widening since the 1980s among women.