Representativeness of the Framingham risk model for coronary heart disease mortality: a comparison with a national cohort study.

The Framingham Heart Study has been the foundation upon which several national policies regarding risk factors for coronary heart disease mortality are based. The NHANES I Epidemiologic Followup Study is the first national cohort study based upon a comprehensive medical examination of a probability sample of United States adults. The average follow-up time was 10 years. This study afforded an opportunity to evaluate the generalizability of the Framingham risk model, using systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and cigarette smoking, to the U.S. population with respect to predicting death from coronary heart disease. The Framingham model predicts remarkably well for this national sample. The major risk factors for coronary heart disease mortality described in previous Framingham analyses are applicable to the United States white adult population.