Community social change and mortality

This paper first reviews the types of explanations that have been used in analyzing unequal distribution in coronary heart disease among different groups and changes in prevalence over time. The explanations have mostly focused on the individual: individual behaviors, personalities, stressors, or social ties. It is suggested here that a shift in focus to community-level characteristics may also aid in understanding changes in mortality. Data are presented from Roseto, PA—a town that became known in the 1960's for its strong Italian traditions and very low mortality from myocardial infarction and that subsequently experienced a sharp rise in mortality—and from the adjacent comparison town of Bangor. Data collected over several decades—in some cases as far back as 1925—on marriages, population composition, organizational memberships, voting patterns, and social class indicators suggest that important community changes that accelerated significantly in the 1960's coincided with and may help to explain Roseto's loss of protection from coronary heart disease deaths after 1965.