Western Collaborative Group Study (WCGS): 25-Year Follow-up of Cardiovascular Disease Morbidity and Mortality

March 15, 2016 updated by: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
To conduct a 25-year follow-up of the surviving participants in the Western Collaborative Group Study, the first large prospective study of coronary heart disease risk factors to incorporate direct assessment of Type A behavior.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

BACKGROUND:

The WCGS began in 1960 with 3,524 male volunteers who were employed by 11 California companies. Subjects were 39 to 59 years old and free of heart disease as determined by electrocardiogram. After the initial screening, the study population dropped to 3,154 and the number of companies to 10 because of various exclusions. The cohort comprised both blue- and white-collar employees. At baseline the following information was collected: socio-demographic including age, education, marital status, income, occupation; physical and physiological including height, weight, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and corneal arcus; biochemical including cholesterol and lipoprotein fractions; medical and family history and use of medications; behavioral data including Type A interview, smoking, exercise, and alcohol use. Later surveys added data on anthropometry, triglycerides, Jenkins Activity Survey, and caffeine use. Average follow-up continued for 8.5 years with repeat examinations. During the 8.5 year follow-up, coronary heart disease occurred in 257 of the initially disease-free group, of whom 50 died of coronary heart disease. There were 90 non-coronary disease deaths. Multiple logistic analyses confirmed the roles of blood pressure, serum cholesterol and cigarette smoking as risk factors. The study also found that Type A behavior, as assessed by a Structured Interview, was associated independently with the risk of coronary heart disease and constituted a 2:1 risk.

In 1982, Dr. Richard Brand and Dr. David Ragland at the School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, conducted a Mortality Follow-up of the 3,014 WCGS subjects living in 1969. The purpose of the 1982 follow-up was to locate the original participants, determine vital status, and obtain information about the health status of the participants who were still alive, and cause of death of participants who had died between 1969 and 1982. All individuals contacted were asked to participate in the proposed 25-year follow-up physical examination. At that time in 1983 there were 2,534 surviving subjects. All data gathered by the 1982 Mortality Follow-up were used in the 25-year follow-up.

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

The follow-up evaluated the power of cardiovascular disease risk factors, as measured in 1960, to predict coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality over 25 years and to predict stroke. It also evaluated the power of changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors as observed across the seven repeat exams from 1960 to 1969, to predict long-term morbidity and mortality and provided the basis for a potential future follow-up of an aging cohort.

The 25-year follow-up extended the existing database by adding current risk factor status and cardiovascular disease morbidity data collected by physical examinations and personal interviews. The new data included physical, physiological, and biochemical variables, health behavior, medical and family history, and Type A behavior. Existing mortality records were updated and used to determine cause of death and, where possible, the extent of cardiovascular pathology.

The study completion date listed in this record was obtained from the "End Date" entered in the Protocol Registration and Results System (PRS) record.

Study Type

Observational

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

No older than 100 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

No eligibility criteria

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Publications and helpful links

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General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

July 1, 1985

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 1990

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 25, 2000

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 25, 2000

First Posted (Estimate)

May 26, 2000

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

March 16, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 15, 2016

Last Verified

July 1, 2000

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 1051
  • R01HL032795 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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