Cardiovascular risk factors in workers at Health Centre in Beocin

Abstract

Most cardiovascular diseases are caused by atherosclerosis, which is a result of interactions between risk factors such as gender, age, blood lipid concentrations, blood pressure, glucose tolerance, adiposity, physical activity and cigarette smoking. Identification of risk factors is the first step in cardiovascular disease prevention. As health workers contribute significantly to cardiovascular morbidity, the aim of our study was to analyze prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and to assess the level of mentioned risk in health workers employed in Health Centre Beocin. The study group consisted of 50 health workers. Obesity was evaluated according to BMI and body fat (BF%) values, while central obesity was defined using waist circumference. Serum lipid concentrations and glycaemia were used in metabolic profile definition. The level of physical activity was assessed using IPAQ, and information about smoking status and family history of cardiovascular diseases was obtained from self-report. Framingham point-scoring system was used to predict the risk for development of coronary heart disease in the 10-year period. Overweight was found in 36%, and obesity in 18% subjects. 42% of examined subjects had higher fat mass, while 24% of them had obesity. Central fat accumulation was observed in 50% subjects. We registered 56% smokers, 70% subjects with positive family history, 28% subjects with hypertension, and 56% subjects with dyslipidemia. According to IPAQ results 20% of exanimate subjects were minimally active and 70% were insufficiently active. Estimated risk of coronary heart disease was 7.38%, and 10% subjects had risk over 20%. In spite of lower cardiovascular risk level, our results showed high prevalence of overweight, smoking and physical inactivity in health workers, which suggests the importance of their own lifestyle modification. It should be the first step in increasing motivation of their patients.