To prospectively examine the role of childhood and adulthood factors in the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and adult systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP).
One hundred and five boys and 101 girls who were 8 years of age at entry into the study were observed for 34 years in the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, Finland. Data were gathered on educational attainment and occupational status, as indicators of SES, and potential explanatory factors related to 0, (14), 27, 36, and 42 years of age. SBP and DBP were assessed at 15 and 42 years of age.
In a structural equation model adjusted for sex and childhood SBP, educational attainment was inversely associated with adult SBP (structural coefficient -0.17, p