Clustering of behavioural risk factors and compliance with clinical preventive recommendations in Spain

To examine the relationship between the clustering of behavioural risk factors and compliance with clinical preventive practices.

Cross-sectional study using a telephone interview of a sample of 16043 persons, representative of the population aged 18-64 years in the Madrid Region (Spain). The criteria for providing clinical preventive services were based on recommendations issued by the Spanish Society for Family and Community Medicine. Analyses were performed using logistic regression with adjustment for age, education, social class and year of interview.

A positive dose-response association was observed between the number of behavioural risk factors (tobacco smoking, hazardous alcohol drinking, leisure-time sedentariness and unbalanced diet) and non-compliance of recommendations for blood-pressure and cholesterol testing, and for cytology and mammography screening (P < 0.001). Compared to subjects with no behavioural risk factors, those with all four risk factors showed a higher frequency of non-compliance of blood pressure assessment: OR = 2.5 (95% CI: 1.6, 3.8) in men and 2.7 (1.5, 4.8) in women, and cholesterolaemia testing: OR = 2.6 (1.8, 3.9) in men and 2.7 (1.5, 5.1) in women. Furthermore, among women, the presence of these four risk factors was also associated with a higher frequency of non-performance of cytology: OR = 6.4 (2.8, 14.8) and mammography screening: OR = 10.2 (2.1, 49.8). However, as it is a cross-sectional study, we do not know the direction of this relationship, therefore, any causal inference should be made with caution.

Clustering of behavioural risk factors is associated with greater non-compliance with recommendations for both blood pressure and cholesterolaemia testing, and for cytology and mammography screening.