title: Hostile Hartlepool and genteel Guildford: hostility and health in 10 English towns.
abstract: Research from the USA suggests that cities with high mortality rates have high levels of hostility. Our aim was to replicate this research in English towns. A telephone questionnaire, based on the Cook-Medley hostility scale, was administered to random samples of adults in 10 English towns: five with high standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and five with low SMRs. The point estimate for the age-sex-weighted mean hostility score of high SMR towns was higher than that of low SMR towns (mean difference 0.2). However, the 95% confidence interval on the estimate included no difference between the two groups (-0.3-0.8). Our study does not confirm beyond doubt the findings of earlier research in the USA.
authors.affiliation: West Surrey Health Authority, Camberley, Surrey GU16 5QE, UK. hkirkbride@hpa.org.uk
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Kirkbride
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Jessop
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Peacock
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone