title: [Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in Maghrebian immigrants in a semiurban area of Barcelona].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The cardiovascular risk factors present a high prevalence in our country, similar to other countries of the Mediterranean area. We don't know which is the distribution of these risk factors in the Maghrebian immigrant population.
  
  
  METHODS
  There was designed a descriptive transverse study realized in 4 semiurban health center of Barcelona (Spain). 167 patients were included by means of consecutive sampling, between january 2005 and december 2006, major of age of a total population of 1127 Maghrebian assigned patients. There were studied the following cardiovascular risk factors: age, sex, smoking, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertriglyceridemia, high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus, and information was gathered as: time of stay in our country, weight, height, body mass index, the accomplishment of physical exercise, as well as precedents of isquemic cardiophaty.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The middle ages were 36.79 years (SD 11.42) and 59,88% they were men. The average time of stay in our country was 4 years (P25-75, 2-6). The average IMC was of 26.96 (SD 5.21). 25.75% was smokers, 22.75% obesity, 19.76% hypercholesterolaemia, 15.57% hypertriglyceridemia, 10.78% diabetes mellitus, 10.78% hypertension and 1.2% CI's precedents. The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was higher in women, with a significant difference in obesity, 35.82% by 14% (P <0.002), men had a higher prevalence of smoking, 40% from 4.48% in women (P <0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study the North African immigrant population has a prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors different from that obtained in population studies in Morocco, with a clear tendency to resemble the Spanish population of the host.
authors.affiliation: Medicina de Familia y Comunitaria, Equipo de Atención Primaria Montornès-Montmeló, Dirección de Atención Primaria Metropolitana Norte, Barcelona, España. josepguil@hotmail.com
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guil Sànchez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Martín
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009018:Morocco / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health; D055815:Young Adult