Secular trends in cardiovascular risk factors with a 36-year perspective: observations from 38- and 50-year-olds in the Population Study of Women in Gothenburg.

Objectives: To study secular trends in cardiovascular risk factors in four different cohorts of women examined in 1968-1969, 1980-1981, 1992-1993 and 2004-2005.

Design: Comparison of four representative cohorts of 38- and 50-year-old women over a period of 36 years.

Setting: Gothenburg, Sweden with approximately 450,000 inhabitants.