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The Type A city: coronary heart disease and the pace of life
R V Levine1, K Lynch, K Miyake
1Department of Psychology, California State University, Fresno 93740.
Insights
Living in fast-paced cities is linked to higher coronary heart disease (CHD) death rates. This study suggests that societal time urgency may contribute to health risks like CHD.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Public Health
- Environmental Psychology
Background:
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of mortality.
- The Type A behavior pattern, characterized by time urgency, has been associated with increased CHD risk.
- Societal factors influencing health behaviors and disease prevalence require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between the pace of life in U.S. metropolitan areas and coronary heart disease (CHD) death rates.
- To explore the sociological implications of time urgency on public health.
- To investigate the potential link between urban temporal norms and CHD risk.
Main Methods:
- Studied 36 metropolitan areas across the United States.
- Measured pace of life using four indicators: walking speed, talking speed, work speed, and proportion of people wearing watches.
- Correlated pace of life indicators with CHD mortality rates across cities and regions.
Main Results:
- A strong positive relationship was found between the pace of life and coronary heart disease (CHD) death rates.
- Faster-paced cities exhibited higher CHD mortality.
- This association held true both within and across different regions of the country.
Conclusions:
- The pace of life in a city is a significant factor associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality.
- Societal time urgency may be a toxic element contributing to CHD, supporting the concept of time urgency in Type A behavior.
- Individuals in fast-paced environments may engage in riskier behaviors, increasing their susceptibility to CHD.
Abstract:
The relationship between the pace of life and coronary heart disease (CHD) was examined in a total of 36 small, medium, and large metropolitan areas across the United States. Four indicators of pace were observed: walking speed, articulation rate (talking speed), bank teller speed (work speed), and the proportion of individuals wearing watches (concern with clock time). Pace of life was strongly related to death rates from coronary heart disease both across cities and across regions of the country. This provides support, on a sociological level, for Wright's (1988) contention that time urgency is a toxic element of the Type A behavior pattern. It is proposed that individuals living in fast-paced cities may be more prone to unhealthy behaviors (e.g., cigarette smoking), which place them at a greater risk for CHD. The relationship among cities' temporal norms, Type A time urgency, and coronary heart disease is also discussed.