ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the case of John Bennett, who believes that the residents of the large, outer-city community where he lives are more vulnerable to heart diseases than people elsewhere. John argues that the number of residents who die from heart problems in this area has escalated in the last few years. The chapter provides a review of the sociological literature with regard to the social factors that contribute to the development of cardiovascular conditions and applies the main principles of longitudinal study in order to test the hypothesis that the residents in a specific urban community are more vulnerable to heart conditions. It reviews the sociological literature with regard to the social factors that contribute to the development of cardiovascular conditions. The chapter explains how a longitudinal study design is applied and the different types of longitudinal study design. It identifies the advantages and disadvantages of applying a longitudinal study design.
