Risk factors for cardiovascular diseases: Is the social gradient reversing in northern India.
Loading...
Date
2010-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Background. In the past century, most developed countries
witnessed a reversal of social gradient in cardiovascular
diseases. To examine whether this phenomenon is also under
way in developing countries, we assessed the prevalence of
selected risk factors for cardiovascular diseases among different
social groups living in urban and rural areas of northern India.
Methods. Four hundred adults >30 years of age, selected
by cluster sampling, were surveyed from 8 purposively selected
communities of Chandigarh and Haryana during 2004–05.
The WHO STEPS tool for surveillance of risk factors was used
to enquire about sociodemographic characteristics, tobacco use,
alcohol intake, physical activity and to measure weight, height,
blood pressure, and waist and hip circumference. Prevalence of
risk factors such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, overweight
(BMI >25 kg/m2), and hypertension (>140/90 mmHg or on
anti-hypertension treatment) were estimated according to the
area of residence and across educational categories after
controlling for the effects of confounding variables.
Results. The prevalence of hypertension in urban (39%;
95% CI 29.5%–49.2%), slum (35%; 95% CI 27.2%–
42.9%) and rural (33%; 95% CI 25.4%–40.8%)
communities was found to be statistically similar (p>0.05)
after controlling for age, gender and education. The prevalence
of physical inactivity (17% v. 12%), central obesity (90% v.
88%), overweight (20% v. 19%) and hypertension (34% v.
36%), were found to be statistically similar among literate
and illiterate population after controlling for the effect of age,
sex and place of residence (p>0.05). However, the risk of
tobacco use was significantly lower among literates (OR 0.3,
95% CI 0.1–0.8).
Conclusion. In selected communities of northern India, most of the cardiovascular disease risk factors did not have a social gradient except tobacco use, which was more common in the lower social group.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Kar S S, Thakur J S, Virdi N K, Jain S, Kumar R. Risk factors for cardiovascular diseases: Is the social gradient reversing in northern India. National Medical Journal of India. 2010 Jul-Aug; 23(4): 206-209.