Individual and Joint Association between Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and Inadequate Lifestyle Behaviors in a...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Cardiology

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are significantly influenced by modifiable lifestyle factors.
• Understanding the interplay between lifestyle behaviors and CVD risk is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the individual and combined associations between inadequate lifestyle behaviors and cardiovascular disease risk factors.
• The study focused on adults and older adults in Brazil.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 1079 participants from Brazil's Health Academy Program.
• Assessed inadequate diet, alcohol consumption, smoking, and physical inactivity.
• Used logistic and multinomial logistic regression to analyze associations with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, and obesity.

Main Results:

• A higher number of inadequate lifestyle behaviors correlated with increased odds of having multiple CVD risk factors concurrently.
• Simultaneous adoption of one or more unhealthy behaviors was linked to higher odds of hypercholesterolemia.
• Adopting two or more unhealthy behaviors was associated with lower odds of hypertension.

Conclusions:

• The accumulation of inadequate lifestyle behaviors is strongly associated with a higher likelihood of presenting multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors.
• Findings highlight the importance of addressing multiple lifestyle factors for comprehensive CVD prevention strategies.