Determining risk of heart disease and obesity with a hand-held programmable calculator

Two sets of programs are presented which aid the practicing flight surgeon to quickly assess risk of cardiovascular disease or calculate percent body fat. Risk of cardiovascular disease is easily computed using the Framingham Risk Equation and relating it to the average risk and minimal risk of a patient the same age. A "cardiovascular age" is also computed. Body composition determinations can be done quickly using only circumference measurements and recognized military formulas. Confidence intervals about the estimate and U.S. Air Force maximum allowable weights are computed. For males a maximum weight for health is computed. The programs presented were written for a simple, hand-held calculator. The calculator was selected because it is portable, inexpensive, can be used in a small clinic anywhere in the world, and requires no computer expertise, bringing sophisticated research statistical methods to the everyday clinical practice of aerospace medicine.