title: Lifestyle-associated risk for cardiovascular diseases among doctors and nurses working in a medical college hospital in Tamil Nadu, India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Globally, about 17 million people die of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) every year and a substantial number of these deaths are attributed to four major risk factors namely unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco consumption, and alcohol consumption. Doctors and nurses often have a sedentary lifestyle.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed at assessing the lifestyle-associated risk for CVDs among doctors and nurses in a medical college hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study among 250 doctors and nurses, selected using a stratified random sampling, working at a medical college hospital in Tamil Nadu.
  
  
  METHODS
  After consenting, each participant answered a questionnaire comprising questions pertaining to the sociodemographic characteristics as well as lifestyle-related risk factors. Risk was categorized into low, moderate, and high based on general risk factors, physical activity risk factors, and dietary risk factors separately.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive statistics and Chi-square analysis were used to analyze the data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that 31.2% of all study subjects and 49.2% of doctors were at high general risk for CVDs; 30.4% of all study subjects and 42.1% of doctors were at high physical activity-related risk for CVDs; 14.4% of all study subjects and 19.8% of all doctors were at high dietary pattern-related risk for CVDs. Advancing age is a statistically significant risk factor across all risk groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Doctors are at a higher risk for CVDs as compared to nurses as well as the general population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, SRM University, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Shailendra Kumar B
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Hegde
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, SRM University, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vijayakrishnan
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, SRM University, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Akshaya K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Sasankh
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, SRM University, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Sanjana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Venkateswaran
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology, National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Ganeshkumar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parasuraman
keywords: Cardiovascular diseases; doctors; lifestyle-associated risk; nurses