The Status of Cardiovascular Health in Rural and Urban Areas of Janow Lubelski District in Eastern Poland: a Population-Based Study

• DOI: 10.20944/preprints201809.0204.v1
• Publication Date: 2018-09-13T21:50:36Z
• Authors: Grzegorz Józef No...; Barbara Ślusarska; Honorata Piasecka; Agnieszka Bartoszek; Katarzyna Kocka; Alina Deluga
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Rural Population; Urban Population; Health Status; health status; Blood Pressure; Article; Body Mass Index; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; ideal cardiovascular health; cardiovascular disease; 11. Sustainability; Prevalence; Humans; prevention and control; 1. No poverty; nursing_health_studies; Middle Aged; 16. Peace & justice; Diet; 3. Good health; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cardiovascular Diseases; Female; Poland

Perfect cardiovascular health (CVH) has been defined by the American Heart Association as the lack of cardiovascular disease and the presence of seven key factors and health behaviors. In this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of ideal and poor CVH among the Polish adult population, taking the chosen socio-demographic factors into consideration. This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 3,901 adults without cardiovascular diseases, aged between 35 and 64 years. Participants completed a questionnaire, and they had anthropometric and physiological measurements taken. Blood samples were analyzed for fasting glucose and cholesterol levels. Ideal CVH was found in 5.4% of the participants, with the advantage of being toward city dwellers over those living in the rural areas (6.3% vs. 5.0%) p = 0.02. In case of the residents of rural areas, their likelihood of having an ideal body mass index (BMI) was found to be 22% lower (odds ratio (OR) = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.66–0.92), their likelihood of having an ideal diet was found to be 27% lower (OR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.54–0.94), their likelihood of having perfect blood pressure was found to be 29% lower (OR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.56–0.89), and their likelihood of having the perfect glucose levels were found to be 28% lower (OR = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.63–0.84), than the residents of urban areas. The prevalence of ideal cardiovascular behaviors and factors is lower in the rural community compared with people living in the city. Results indicate that more effort should be dedicated toward the country’s health policy, specifically concerning primary prevention. Preventive actions in the field of cardiovascular disease should be addressed to the residents of rural areas to a larger extent.