Cardiovascular risk factors in semi-urban communities in southwest Nigeria: Patterns and prevalence.
BACKGROUND
Over 80% of cardiovascular deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries; most of these deaths are due to modifiable risk factors. The study aimed at estimating the prevalence and pattern of major cardiovascular risk factors in both men and women older than 18 years.


METHODS
This is a cross-sectional study of cardiovascular risk factors among semi-urban dwellers in Ekiti State, south-western, Nigeria. 750 participants were drawn from 10 communities. The instrument used was the standard WHO STEPS (II) questionnaire, while blood samples were obtained for analysis.


RESULTS
There were 750 participants with 529 (70.53%) females. The mean age of participants was 61.7±18.50 years and participants' ⩾65 years comprised 38.3%. There were 0.8%, 24.9% and 12.4%, who at the time of this study smoked cigarettes, consumed alcohol, and ate a high salt diet, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, generalized and abdominal obesity was 47.2%, 6.8%, 8.5% and 32.0%, respectively, with only 48.9% receiving hypertension treatment. Elevated total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and low HDL was seen in 4.4%, 16.7% and 56.3% respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
High prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors call for an urgent need for more public health attention and reinforcement of primary preventive strategies to curb its menace.
Department of Internal Medicine, Federal Medical Centre, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria.
Rotimi
R
Oluyombo
Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Unit, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, College of Health Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria. Electronic address: dryemi@yahoo.com.
Michael A
MA
Olamoyegun
Federal Medical Centre, Ido-Ekiti, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria.
Oluwasegun
O
Olaifa
Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Unit, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria.
Sandra O
SO
Iwuala
Department of Community Medicine, Federal Medical Centre, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria.
Oluwole A
OA
Babatunde
D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors
D002784:Cholesterol
Cardiovascular; Diabetes; Hypertension; Nigeria; Risk factors; Semi-urban