PREVALENCE OF RISK FACTORS FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS: A SOCIOECONOMIC COMPARISON

Abstract

Objectives: Atherosclerosis, the key pathology for cardiovascular disease, is thought to be a disease of affluent people. This study was designed to estimate risk factor prevalence of atherosclerosis in different socioeconomic classes.

Methodology: Questionnaire-based data was obtained from 395 subjects, divided into three socioeconomic classes according to monthly income (high income, HI: > 100,000 PKR; Middle income, MI: 50,000 – 100,000 PKR; Low income, LI: < 20,000 PKR). Data was collected with regard to hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, smoking, tobacco use, physical inactivity, and dietary habits.

Results: Number of participants was: HI – 115; MI – 119; LI – 161. Mean age of cohort was 35.81 ± 14.29. The three classes showed no significant difference with regard to age and body mass index, BMI (p = 0.055, 0.222 respectively). A statistically significant difference was present with regard to lack of exercise, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension (HTN) and tobacco use (p<0.001, p=0.025, p=0.005, p<0.001 respectively). No significant difference was observed with regard to smoking and diabetes (p = 0.326, .424 respectively). Prevalence of ≥ 3 risk factors was: HI – 12.17%; MI – 14.28%; LI – 11.17%.

Conclusion: Low, middle and high socioeconomic classes showed HTN, lack of exercise and hypercholesterolemia as the most prevalent risk factors respectively. Middle class showed most clustering of risk factors followed by high and low classes. Lack of exercise was the most prevalent risk factor overall, most pronounced in middle class.