Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Female Nursing Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine cardiovascular risk factors in third-year baccalaureate nursing students. Female students (n=64, median age 26 years) participated in a 3-tiered assessment of health history, fitness and diet. The health history used for assessing cardiovascular risks included items about smoking and familial history of heart disease. The fitness assessment was designed to measure cardio-respiratory fitness, percent body fat, and self-rated activity level. After completing the Rockport Walk Test (1 mile), almost all students (96.7%) received a rating of excellent for cardio-respiratory fitness. A mean value of 30.4% was calculated for percent body fat. The majority of students (82%) self-reported that they did not meet the Surgeon General's recommended amount of physical activity. The dietary assessment was based on an analysis of 3-day diet records. Dietary analyses revealed that on average, 34% of the students’ total energy was consumed as fat, 10% of their total energy as saturated fat, and the mean cholesterol consumed was 172mg/d. It was encouraging that the students exhibited excellent cardio-respiratory fitness, low prevalence of smoking, moderate cholesterol and saturated fat intakes. The cardiovascular risk factors identified in this subset were positive familial history of heart disease, greater than recommended intakes of total fat, greater than recommended percent body fat, and less than recommended physical activity. Family history was the only risk factor that was not modifiable. These data from this subset could be used to target areas in need of improvement.