[Lifestyles of subjects who take drugs for two or more cardiovascular risk factors. TAR-RISC Study]

To describe the basic characteristics and lifestyles of the population of a Health Region, on medication for two or more cardiovascular risk factors.

Cross-sectional descriptive study.

Tarragona Primary Care.

The subjects, less than 65 years-old, were identified by the dispensing data of hypertensive, glucose-lowering and lipid-lowering pharmaceutical drugs.

Specific structured questionnaires were designed for each drugs group, and the information was gathered by telephone. Age, sex, sedentarism, alcohol and tobacco habits, diet and body mass index were analysed. A total of 1201 patients, with a mean age of 58.9±7.6 years, were interviewed. There were 54.2% males. A total of 636 (53.0%) subjects took anti-hypertensive and cholesterol lowering drugs, 212 (17.7%) anti-hypertensive and glucose lowering drugs, and 128 (10.8%) cholesterol lowering and glucose lowering drugs, and 225 (18.7%) patients took drugs from the three groups. There were 19.2% active smokers, 5.7% stated excessive alcohol consumption, 266 (22.2%) stated that they did not follow any diet, and 15% were sedentary or did a minimum of physical activity. The mean body mass index was 29.9±4.9 kg/m(2), being highest among the subjects who took anti-hypertensive and glucose lowering drugs (P<0.001), and 44.2% were obese.

Approximately one fifth of the subjects who took at least 2 pharmacological groups was an active smoker, one quarter of the total did not follow a diet, half were obese and two-thirds did little or no physical activity. These results show low compliance to hygienic-dietetic measures by patients with an increased cardiovascular risk.