Objective: To compare the exposure to psychosocial factors associated with cardiovascular risk in UK South Asian and white European men.
Design: Interview study of 63 healthy UK South Asian and 42 white European men aged 35-75 years, randomly selected from a larger study group in West London. Interviews were administered in Punjabi and English. Measures of psychosocial and cardiovascular risk factors were obtained.
Setting: Ealing Hospital, West London.
Results: The South Asian men had lived in the UK for an average of 27.9 (SD 11.6) years, and had higher educational attainment than the white Europeans. Compared with the white Europeans, the South Asian men lived in significantly more crowded homes, experienced lower job control, greater financial strain, lower neighbourhood social cohesion and more racial harassment. They received less emotional support, and were more depressed and less optimistic on standard questionnaires. These men also had higher waist/hip ratios and were more sedentary, but there were no significant ethnic differences in biological risk factors.
Conclusions: South Asian men living in London showed a higher risk profile in psychosocial factors thought to contribute to cardiovascular disease risk. This preliminary investigation is consistent with the possibility that psychosocial adversity contributes to increased vulnerability to coronary heart disease in South Asians resident in the UK.