A Community-based Cross-sectional Study of Cardiovascular Risk in a Rural Community of Puducherry

The World Health Organization (WHO) / International Society of Hypertension (ISH) risk prediction chart can predict the risk of cardiovascular events in any population.

To assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and to estimate the cardiovascular risk using the WHO/ISH risk charts.

A cross-sectional study was done from November 2011 to January 2012 in a rural area of Puducherry. Method of sampling was a single stage cluster random sampling, and subjects were enrolled depending on their suitability with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data collection tool was a piloted and semi-structured questionnaire, while WHO/ISH cardiovascular risk prediction charts for the South-East Asian region was used to predict the cardiovascular risk. Institutional Ethics committee permission was obtained before the start of the study. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 16 and appropriate statistical tests were applied.

The mean age in years was 54.2 (±11.1) years with 46.7% of the participants being male. On application of the WHO/ISH risk prediction charts, almost 17% of the study subjects had moderate or high risk for a cardiovascular event. Additionally, high salt diet, alcohol use and low HDL levels, were identified as the major CVD risk factors.

To conclude, stratification of people on the basis of risk prediction chart is a major step to have a clear idea about the magnitude of the problem. The findings of the current study revealed that there is a high burden of CVD risk in the rural Puducherry.