Prevalence of lifestyle associated cardiovascular risk factors among adolescent students of Rural Bengal

Abstract

Introduction: Adolescent population at the crossroad of childhood and adulthood start to pick lifestyle related risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Methods: To find out the prevalence of lifestyle associated cardiovascular risk factors and risk correlates a study was conducted among 452 adolescent students of class IX-XII of four higher secondary schools; males 247(54.64%), females 205(45.36%) using a predesigned, pretested, semi-structured questionnaire to find out cardiovascular risk factors viz. smoking, physical activity, dietary practices; blood pressure, weight, height was measured; BMI was calculated. Result: Hypertension was in 12.61 percent adolescents (male 16.59%, female 7.80%; private schools 19.27% Government aided schools 7.69%). Overweight was in 7.74 percent (male 8.90%, female 6.34%; private schools 15.62%, Government aided schools 1.92%). Obesity was in 3.98 percent (male 4.04%, female 3.90%; private schools 8.85%, Government aided schools 0.38%). Insufficient physical activity was in 15.70 percent (female (23.41%), male (9.31%); double in private (21.87%) than Government aided schools (11.15%). Of the 1.32 percent smokers, all were male (2.42%) and from private schools (3.12 %). Mean systolic blood pressure was 112.08±13.51 mm Hg; mean diastolic blood pressure was 72.49±8.51 mm Hg. Consumption of obesogenic foods more than three servings per week and at least three days in a week were fast food (55.53%), sweets(44.46%), ghee and butter(22.56%), red meat(6.41%), cold drinks(3.09%), ice cream(4.86%); protective foods were fruits (57.74 %) and vegetables ( 84.29%).Significant difference existed in risk factors between gender and schools. Conclusion: Our study findings indicated that prevalence of lifestyle related risk factors for cardiovascular diseases were hypertension, physical inactivity, overweight or obesity in rural Bengal that calls for optimum intervention strategies to be expanded.