Prevalence and simultaneity of cardiovascular risk factors in elderly participants of a population-based study in southern Brazil

ABSTRACT:

Objective:

To investigate the prevalence of simultaneity of cardiovascular risk factors and their association with socio-demographic characteristics in older adults in Southern Brazil.

Methods:

Cross-sectional study with 1.553 elderly participants of the EpiFloripa study in Florianópolis-SC. The risk factors evaluated were: Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, insufficient leisure-time physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking. The construction of the outcome was performed by combining all of the factors mentioned and then categorized. Bivariate and multivariate analyzes were performed using the Poisson regression.

Results:

It was found that 57.6% of the elderly coexist with the simultaneity of cardiovascular risk factors. The combination of inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption and insufficient leisure-time physical activity was the most prevalent. The highest prevalence observed in women and men was the insufficient leisure-time physical activity and inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption of 46.4 and 28.1%, respectively. The observed prevalence of the four factors was higher among men (2.5%), whereas for women (0.3%). Men were 11.0% more likely to accumulate risk factors compared to women. And each additional year of schooling represents 4.0% less probability of accumulating cardiovascular risk factors.

Conclusions:

The differences between the simultaneity of risk factors and sociodemographic aspects should be considered in the approach for older adults, both at the individual level and in the construction of public policies.

Keywords:
Risk factors; Life style; Cardiovascular diseases; Aged; Cluster analysis