Abstract
BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among non-communicable diseases in South Africa. Several metabolic risk factors contribute to the development of CVD. Informal workers such as waste pickers could be unhealthy lifestyle naive, and most public health research on CVD does not include this understudied population. This study estimated the 10-year risk of fatal CVD and its association with metabolic risk factors in an understudied study population of waste pickers in Johannesburg, South Africa.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among waste pickers in two landfill sites in Johannesburg. We used the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) risk charts to estimate the 10-year risk of fatal CVD. We then employed ordinary least squares regression to assess the association between the 10-year risk of fatal CVD with metabolic risk factors. Other variables adjusted in the regression model were HIV status, education, income, injuries from work, clinic visits in the previous 12 months, and alcohol consumption.ResultsA total of 370 waste pickers were included in this analysis, 265 (73.41%) were males. The mean age of the participants was 34 years. The majority were between the age of 20 and 39 years. More than 55% of the waste pickers did not visit a clinic in the previous 12 months, and 68.57% were smoking. The 10-year survival probability from CVD was more than 99% for both males and females. In the multivariable regression model, elevated blood glucose showed a non-significant increase in the mean percentage of 10-year risk of fatal CVD. Waste pickers who were overweight/obese, and hypertensive had high statistically significant mean percentages of the 10-year risk of fatal CVD compared to those who did not have the metabolic risk factors.ConclusionsPrevention of 10-year risk of fatal CVD in this understudied population of waste pickers should target the control of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. Health awareness and education for waste pickers will be an important step in reducing the burden of these metabolic risk factors. We further recommend that health systems should recognize waste pickers as a high-risk group and consider extensive CVDs surveillance.
Highlights
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among non-communicable diseases in South Africa
The CVD risk could have been increased by lifestyle diseases including high blood glucose, hypertension, and obesity which tend to be more prevalent in women in this study
Our study indicated that increasing age increases the 10-year risk of fatal CVD in both men and women, this is in line with a previous report where coronary heart disease (CHD), a major CVD, increased with increasing age in women and men, and even more common in individuals older than 50 years [24]
Summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among non-communicable diseases in South Africa. Several metabolic risk factors contribute to the development of CVD Informal workers such as waste pickers could be unhealthy lifestyle naive, and most public health research on CVD does not include this understudied population. The mortality rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are higher than that of HIV/AIDS, of which cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause in South Africa [1, 2]. The World Heart Federation (WHF) initiated a CVD prevention and control program called 25 by 25 Global Target. This initiative aimed to reduce the premature mortality rate from CVD by 25% in 2025 [4]. Other efforts have been placed on improved treatment of cardiovascular diseases in South Africa and identification of risk factors [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
