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Prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors
R Nangia1, Harpreet Singh2, Kanwaljit Kaur3
1Professor & Head (Pathology), Integeral Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.
Insights
Cardiovascular disease risk factors like obesity and high blood pressure are prevalent in armed forces personnel over 35. While lower than the general population, high rates of pre-obesity and pre-hypertension indicate a need for preventive health strategies.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology
- Military Health
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are common nationally, but data for armed forces personnel is limited.
- Studies show high mean body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (BP), and cholesterol levels in the general population.
- This study addresses the data gap concerning CVD risk factors in military personnel.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the prevalence of elevated BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.
- Focus on serving armed forces personnel aged 35 years and older.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study conducted from January to June 2013.
- Inclusion of all serving individuals aged 35 years and older in specific northern districts (N=5143).
Main Results:
- Obesity prevalence was 3.42%, raised BP was 14.07%, and raised blood sugar was 1.71%.
- A significant proportion were pre-obese (67.72%) and pre-hypertensive (82.65%).
Conclusions:
- Armed forces personnel exhibited lower prevalence of hypertension, hyperglycemia, and dyslipidemia compared to national data.
- High rates of pre-obesity and pre-hypertension underscore the necessity for targeted preventive health initiatives within this demographic.
Background:
Various studies conducted across the country have shown a high prevalence of known risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) (like mean body mass index (BMI), systolic BP and raised cholesterol levels) but no exhaustive data is available pertaining to armed forces personnel. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of raised BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar among serving armed forces personnel ≥35 yrs of age.
Methods:
The study was carried out between Jan 2013-Jun 2013. The study included all individuals ≥35 yrs of age deployed/posted in specific districts of northern part of the country (N = 5143) instead of a limited sample size.
Results:
In this study, obesity was observed in 3.42% (95% CI: 2.96%-3.95%), raised BP in 14.07% (95% CI: 13.15%-15.05%) and raised blood sugar levels in 1.71% (95% CI: 1.39%-2.10%). Additionally, 67.72% (95% CI: 66.43%-68.99%) were pre-obese and 82.65% (95% CI: 81.60%-83.67%) were pre-hypertensives.
Conclusion:
Lower prevalence of hypertension, hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia was observed in armed forces personnel in comparison to country specific data. However, high prevalence of pre-obese and pre-hypertension suggests a need for concerted efforts towards preventive activities in this field.
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