The purpose of this study was to test a conceptual model of the effects of age, weight, type, cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and coping on the stress response of southern black women. Data were collected on 280 employed black women. Audiotape analyses of the structured interview resulted in 136 Type A's and 144 Type B's. Each individual was screened for hypercholesteremia using a portable reflectance photometer. Blood pressure measurements were taken every minute before, during, and after a stress-producing Type A/B interview. Type A's had higher resting systolic blood pressures, higher cholesterol levels, higher levels of stress during the interview, and lower coping scores than Type B's. The relationships between age, weight, and resting systolic blood pressures all were in the direction reported in the literature.