A Descriptive Study to Identify the Risk Factors and Level of Cardiac Risk among Adults in Puducherry

Abstract

Background:Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being (WHO). Individual health will be affected by multiple factors of physical, behavioural and social, economic causes. Non-communicable diseases are more prevalent in recent eras due to changes in lifestyle, food patterns, physical activities, etc. Cardiovascular diseases are universal threat. Obesity is associated with the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. High blood cholesterol is one of the major cardiovascular risk factors and plays a crucial role in causing cardiovascular disease. Methods and Material:Door-to-door survey was conducted at randomly selected urban areas of Puducherry among adults using a modified STEP Tool checklist and biological, physiological and behavioural risk factors among adults. Results:The study results revealed the that physiological and biological risk factors of cardiac risk among healthy adults; about 30.7% (71) of them had hypercholesterolemia and 65.8% (152) of them had obesity (based on WHO criteria) about 59.8%, 33.6% and 6.6% of them were had obesity Grades I, II and III, respectively. Almost 31.6% (73) of them had elevated systolic blood pressure. About behavioural characteristics 25.1% (58) of them were alcoholics, 10.8% (25) of them were tobacco users and about 98.3% (227) of them were following an unhealthy dietary pattern. Assessment of cardiac risk factors that majority of the healthy adults 55.8% (129) were having low cardiac risk, 39.0% (90) of them were having moderate cardiac risk and only 5.2% (12) were having no cardiac risk. Conclusion:Prevalence of physiological, biological and behavioural risk factors like hypercholesterolemia, obesity, systolic hypertension, gender and alcoholism, tobacco use was higher among healthy adults. By using step tool, cardiac risk assessment showed that no risk adults were lesser then to moderate risk and 50% of them were low risk.