Environmental factors during early life and socioeconomic status in the present: which is more important for cardiovascular mortality in Spain?

BACKGROUND: To examine whether provincial mortality from ischaemic heart di sease and cerebrovascular disease in Spain in 1991-1995 is associated with infant mortality in 1930-1934, independently of illiteracy (an estimator of socioeconomic status) in 1991. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Population-correlation study. RESULTS: Infant mortality is correlated with mortality from ischaemic heart disease (r = 0.38; p < 0.01) and cerebrovascular disease (r = 0.41; p < 0. 01). When adjusting for illiteracy rate in 1991, the correlation of infant mortality with ischaemic heart disease mortality is r = 0.01 (p = 0.93), an d with cerebrovascular disease mortality is r = 0.25 (p = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Ischaemic heart: disease and cerebrovascular disease mortality are moderately associated with infant mortality during the 1930s. This ass ociation might be explained by present socioeconomic status.