Clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors among first-year students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the second leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, there is substantial evidence that modifiable risk factors for CVD are increasing in adolescents. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of information on the prevalence and clustering of these risk factors in adolescents. This study explores the modifiable risk factors for CVD among first-year students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. A total of 546 newly admitted students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, were recruited using stratified random sampling. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from study participants between January and February 2016. The mean age of respondents was 19 ± 2.2 years with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1. The reported risk factors for CVD were smoking (1.6%), abdominal obesity (3.3%), alcohol consumption (3.7%), overweight/obesity (20.7%), unhealthy diet (85.3%), and physical inactivity (94.5%). Clustering of ≥ 2 risk factors was reported in 23.4% of students. Female students were twice as probably overweight/obese as male students (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.2; confidence interval [CI] = 1.41-3.43). Students whose fathers were skilled workers were 3.5 times more likely to be physically inactive (AOR = 1.7; CI = 0.97-2.96). The clustering of ≥ 2 risk factors was significantly higher among women and Muslims in bivariate analysis, whereas no significant association was found in multivariate analysis. Public health strategies to prevent CVD risk factors should begin in schools and extend to the entire community.