Cardiovascular disease risk factors are highly prevalent in the office-working population of Nanjing in China.
OBJECTIVE
To establish a profile of the modifiable cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in the office-working population of Nanjing, China.


BACKGROUND
With increasing modernization in China, CVD is now common among Chinese. Relevant information on the prevalence of CVD risk factors in China is, however, limited.


METHODS
We recruited 2648 office working people aged 23-79 years without history of CVD or diabetes from 7 work units of Nanjing during the years 2003 to 2005. Information from a self-reported questionnaire on lifestyle, physical examination, fasting blood for lipid profiles, and a 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were obtained from each participant. We analyzed the following 7 CVD risk factors: smoking, inadequate physical activity, unhealthy dietary habit, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia.


RESULTS
The whole study population had an average of 2.8 risk factors, while 95.6%, 79.4% and 55.6% of them had respectively ≥ 1, ≥ 2 and ≥ 3 of the 7 CVD risk factors. Men had a higher proportion of smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, but lower in light physical activity compared with women. Number of CVD risk factors increased with age. Although risk factors in men were more common than women, they increased alarmingly in postmenopausal women.


CONCLUSIONS
CVD risk factors are common in office-working people in Nanjing, China. Effective interventions and treatment against risk factors should be adopted in the high risk population, which may greatly reduce the future burden of CVD in the Chinese population.
Diabetes Care and Research Center, Jiangsu Province Institute of Geriatrics, Nanjing, China.
Xiaojun
X
Ouyang
Qinglin
Q
Lou
Laubou
L
Gu
Yangzi
Y
Mo
Jennifer H
JH
Nan
Alice P
AP
Kong
Wing-Yee
WY
So
Gary T
GT
Ko
Ronald C
RC
Ma
Juliana C
JC
Chan
Chun-Chung
CC
Chow
Rongwen
R
Bian
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000453:epidemiology; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000208:ethnology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D017698:Postmenopause; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult