title: Continental-Mediterranean and rural-urban differences in cardiovascular risk factors in Croatian population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the distribution of cardiovascular disease (CVD) factors between continental and Mediterranean areas and urban and rural areas of Croatia, as well as to investigate the differences in achieving treatment goals by the general practitioners (GP) in different settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multicenter prospective study was performed on 2467 participants of both sexes ≥40 years old, who visited for any reason 59 general practices covering the whole area of Croatia (May-July 2008). The study was a part of the Cardiovascular Risk and Intervention Study in Croatia-family medicine (CRISIC-fm) study. Patients were interviewed using a 140-item questionnaire on socio-demographics and CVD risk factors. We measured body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference and determined biochemical variables including blood pressure, total, high-density lipoprotein-, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides, glycemia, and uric acid.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants from continental rural areas had significantly higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P<0.001), obesity (P=0.001), increased waist circumference (P<0.001), and more intense physical activity (P=0.020). Participants from coastal rural areas had higher HDL-cholesterol, participants from continental rural and coastal urban areas had higher LDL-cholesterol, and participants from rural continental had significantly higher BMI and waist circumference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of CVD risk factors in Croatian population is high. Greater burden of risk factors in continental region and rural areas may be partly explained by lifestyle differences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Split School of Medicine, Soltanska 2, 21000 Split, Croatia.
authors.forename: Biserka
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bergman Marković
authors.forename: Davorka
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vrdoljak
authors.forename: Ksenija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kranjcević
authors.forename: Jasna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vucak
authors.forename: Josipa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kern
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bielen
authors.forename: Dragica
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ivezić Lalić
authors.forename: Milica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katić
authors.forename: Zeljko
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Reiner
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D017523:Croatia / Q000453:epidemiology; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000453:epidemiology; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012907:Smoking; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*