In 1981, the National Institute on Aging and the NCHS began a follow-up of the original NHANES I cohort. In order to evaluate the usefulness of major epidemiological studies for predicting coronary heart disease in the United States population, the NHLBI added a Framingham model verification component to the follow-up. The risk factors (systolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and cigarette smoking) for death from coronary heart disease were compared using results from the seventh cohort examination of 1960-1964 as baseline in Framingham and the NHANES I examination of 1971-1974 as baseline for the NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study (NHEFS). The endpoint for each study was coronary heart disease death as coded from the death certificates. Results of the NHLBI portion of the follow-up demonstrated that the major risk factors for coronary heart disease mortality described in previous Framingham analyses were applicable to the United States white adult population.