Blacks have a higher mortality rate through middle adulthood than whites from coronary heart disease (CHD), the leading causes of death in the United States. Blacks have been found to exhibit greater cardiovascular (CV) response to stress (i.e., reactivity), a potential risk factor for CHD, as have individuals with a family history. . Although CHD has its pathobiologic origins in childhood, little longitudinal reactivity research has been conducted in youth, especially from childhood through late adolescence.