A factor analytic study of physical risk variables for CHD

The scores of 40 hospitalized male coronary heart disease (CHD) patients, for seven traditionally employed physical CHD risk factors, were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis that employed a LISREL program. An attempt was made to confirm a two-factor solution that involved family history as one factor, and smoking, serum cholesterol level, blood pressure, physical exercise, diet, and weight control as the second. The obtained goodness-of-fit index (.84) suggests that the two-factor solution is a moderately valid one. These findings raise the question whether many of the physical risk factors for CHD simply may be manifestations of a single behavioral characteristic, perhaps best described as "lack of self-control."