title: Relationship of trait, Type A behavior, and physical fitness variables to cardiovascular reactivity and coronary heart disease risk potential.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This research investigated the effects of individual characteristics on cardiovascular reactivity, and in turn on the potential for developing coronary heart disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Path analysis was performed using LISREL, a structural equation modeling program providing maximum likelihood estimators and goodness-of-fit measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected during a health assessment program, from participants attending a Department of Defense senior service school.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 134 senior-ranking male military and civilian employee volunteers, representing approximately 84% of all students in training.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five individual characteristics, four measures of cardiovascular reactivity, and one coronary heart disease risk potential variable were investigated. These included Physical Fitness, Type A behavior, Trait Anger and Trait Anxiety, Diastolic and Systolic Blood Pressure measures, and Coronary Heart Disease Risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant path coefficients (critical ratios > 2) indicated that the mean diastolic blood pressure under a video stress condition was predictive of increased potential of developing coronary heart disease (.51), while hard driving Type A behavior was a cardiovascular reactivity antecedent associated with an increase in coronary heart disease risk directly (.14) and indirectly (.39). Physical fitness, on the other hand, had a positive affect in that increased fitness was related to lower cardiovascular reactivity when participants were stressed (-.58).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Physical fitness is indirectly beneficial in reducing coronary heart disease risk potential by reducing an individual's diastolic blood pressure response, while scoring high as a Type A Hard Driving personality increases cardiovascular reactivity and coronary heart disease risk. This study is limited to middle-aged males who were generally healthy and displayed concern for their health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Management, Clemson University, SC 29634-1305, USA.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Hendrix
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003971:Diastole; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D010809:Physical Fitness; D012307:Risk Factors; D014434:Type A Personality