Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Young Adults through the Nursing Diagnosis: A Cross-Sectional Study among International University Students.

Gonzalo Duarte-Clíments,Tibelle Freitas Mauricio,Rafaella Pessoa Moreira,María Begoña Sánchez-Gómez,Macarena Romero-Martín,Juan Gómez-Salgado

doi:10.3390/healthcare9010091

Abstract

Four out of five deaths from cardiovascular disease are due to heart attacks and strokes in low- and middle-income countries. Early identification of risk factors in exposed individuals will help to develop interventions that may eliminate and/or reduce these risks and prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases. So, it is necessary to investigate the risk of impaired cardiovascular function in university students due to the increase in some risk factors and cardiovascular events in young adults, and to describe its epidemiology among international university students. For this, an observational cross-sectional study through interviews is designed. The clinical validity was addressed following the Fehring model. In addition, anthropometric data and results of laboratory tests were collected. The nursing diagnosis “Risk of impaired cardiovascular function” showed clinical validity, high sensitivity and specificity, as well as predictive values. Fehring ratio values were above 0.79 and Kappa Index above 0.72. The study showed a high frequency of this nursing diagnosis among university students, especially in students of Brazilian nationality. The main risks of impaired cardiovascular function found in 86.8% of students were: family history of cardiovascular disease, sedentary lifestyle, pharmacological agent, dyslipidemia, and insufficient knowledge. The most prevalent risk factors of the nursing diagnosis in the studied population were related to insufficient knowledge of modifiable health habits, such as sedentary lifestyle. The information provided is expected to serve as the basis for the planning and implementation of health actions aimed at reducing modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Highlights

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for 17.7 million deaths per year, which amounts to 31% of all global deaths
This research aims to verify the accurate use of the nursing diagnosis “risk of impaired cardiovascular function”, by analyzing its clinical validity, specificity, and predictive value
The data found in this study showed a high level of risk of impaired cardiovascular function among the young population

Summary

Introduction

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for 17.7 million deaths per year, which amounts to 31% of all global deaths. One of the causes for the high prevalence of CVD in these countries is the lack of integrated primary healthcare programs for early detection and treatment of those people with cardiovascular risk factors. This makes access to effective health services that meet the patients’ needs scarcer and, unequal. These patients are diagnosed at the end of the disease, and as a result, they die younger, often in their most productive years of life [2]. Primary healthcare prevention, through research, detection, and management of cardiovascular risk factors, plays a relevant role in the prevention or reduction of these risks, and, in the progression and complications of CVD in an effective and less harmfully way [4]

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