Citation

Kirkbride HA, Jessop EG, Peacock JL. Public Health 2003; 117(5): 312-316.

Affiliation

West Surrey Health Authority, Camberley, Surrey GU16 5QE, UK. hkirkbride@hpa.org.uk

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12909419

Abstract

Research from the USA suggests that cities with high mortality rates have high levels of hostility. Our aim was to replicate this research in English towns. A telephone questionnaire, based on the Cook-Medley hostility scale, was administered to random samples of adults in 10 English towns: five with high standardized mortality ratios (SMR) and five with low SMRs. The point estimate for the age-sex-weighted mean hostility score of high SMR towns was higher than that of low SMR towns (mean difference 0.2). However, the 95% confidence interval on the estimate included no difference between the two groups (-0.3-0.8). Our study does not confirm beyond doubt the findings of earlier research in the USA.

Language: en