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Age and secular trends in risk factors for cardiovascular disease in Busselton
M W Knuiman1, K Jamrozik, T A Welborn
1Department of Public Health, University of Western Australia, Perth.
Insights
Cardiovascular disease mortality declined in Australia due to falling rates of risk factors like smoking and high blood pressure. Changes in these risk factors accounted for significant drops in heart disease and stroke deaths in Busselton men and women.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Cardiovascular Health
- Public Health
Background:
- Australian cardiovascular disease mortality rates have declined over two decades.
- Explanations for this trend are incomplete but linked to cardiovascular disease risk factors.
- The Busselton community in Western Australia has been surveyed since 1966.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe secular and age trends of cardiovascular risk factors in Busselton adults.
- To analyze trends in blood pressure, smoking, body mass index, and cholesterol.
- To correlate risk factor changes with observed mortality declines.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional health surveys conducted triennially from 1966 to 1981.
- Analysis of cardiovascular risk factors in men and women aged 25–80 years.
- Comparison of secular trends with national and international studies.
Main Results:
- Observed downwards secular trends in mean blood pressure and smoking prevalence for both sexes.
- Noted an upward trend in body mass index for men; mean cholesterol remained stable.
- Estimated that risk factor changes contributed to 67% of mortality decline in men and 22% in women.
Conclusions:
- Changes in cardiovascular disease risk factor prevalence significantly contributed to declining mortality rates.
- Observed trends in Busselton align with broader Australian and international findings.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the complex interplay of risk factors and mortality.
Abstract:
Mortality rates from heart disease and stroke in Australia have been falling for more than 20 years. No completely satisfactory explanations for this trend exist. However, it is believed to be due, at least in part, to changes in the incidence of cardiovascular disease arising from changes in the prevalence and severity of risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The adult community of Busselton in Western Australia participated in cross-sectional health surveys every three years from 1966 to 1981. This paper describes secular trends from 1966 to 1981 and age trends from 25 to 80 years for cardiovascular risk factors in Busselton men and women. Downwards secular trends were observed for mean blood pressure and smoking for men and women, upwards trends were observed for body mass index in men, and mean cholesterol was approximately constant over this period. The age and secular trends were consistent with other Australian studies conducted in the 1980s and with overseas studies. An estimated 67 per cent of the decline in cardiovascular mortality rates among Busselton men and 22 per cent of the decline among Busselton women may be attributed to changes in the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease.