Original Scientific Paper An assessment of cardiovascular risk among the people of a Nigerian university community Rufus A. Adedoyin a , Michael O. Balogun b , Ayo A. Adekanla a , Margaret O. Oyebami a , Rasaaq A. Adebayo a and Teslim A. Onigbinde a a Department of Medical Rehabilitation and b Department of Medicine, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Received 11 November 2004 Accepted 6 July 2005 Background The purpose of this study was to assess the level of cardiovascular disorder risk among the staff and students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Methods Six hundred apparently healthy subjects voluntarily participated in this study. They consisted of 200 students, 200 junior workers and 200 senior staff. Subjects’ weight, height and blood pressures were taken. Subsequently, the questionnaire used for the Framingham Heart Study was given for completion. The questionnaire sought information on cardiovascular risk factors including smoking habits, sedentary lifestyle, diet, personality trait, age and sex. Results Students had a mean risk score of 10.24, junior staff 11.38, and senior staff 12.42. Significant differences were found between the level of risk for the students and that of the senior staff. However, no significant difference existed between the junior and senior staff and no significant difference existed between the level of risk for the students and the junior staff. Further, there was no significant difference in the level of risk for males compared to females. Conclusion We concluded that the level of cardiovascular risk was low among the subjects selected for this study. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 13:551–554  c 2006 The European Society of Cardiology European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation 2006, 13:551–554 Keywords: cardiovascular disease, risk factors, assessment Introduction The major causes of death are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the developed nations [1]. In the USA alone, cardiovascular diseases accounted for 51% of all deaths [2]. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), CVD is not yet a leading killer but the trend is changing, particularly in urban areas [3,4]. This is because of economic transition, urbanization, industrialization and globalization, which bring about lifestyle changes that promote heart diseases. These lifestyle changes include: tobacco use, a sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes mellitus and family history [5,6]. A review of the global trends in CVD over the last century and the emerging evidence of adverse trends in CVD risk factors and mortality from SSA provide compelling evidence for concern [7,8]. Cardiovascular diseases will undoubtedly increase in frequency in SSA over the coming decades as many countries are now undergoing a rapid transition. For example, in Nigeria (a country with a population of 125 million), approximately 35% of the population is now urbanized [9]. The need for capacity building and exploration for policy, system, and environ- mental changes that can be incorporated into a popula- tion-based approach to CVD prevention in Africa has been stressed [3,10,11]. Reports about cardiovascular risk in relation to CVD are limited in this environment. Some secondary data from the developed nations that have been extrapolated for local use either underestimate or overestimate the level of CVDs in Africa. However, most developing nations lack objective data to quantify the level of CVD. Thus, the aim of this study was to carry out an assessment of cardiovascular risk for Correspondence and requests for reprints to Rufus A. Adedoyin, Department of Medical Rehabilitation, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. E-mail: radedoyi@yahoo.com 1741-8267  c 2006 The European Society of Cardiology Copyright © European Society of Cardiology. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/article/13/4/551/5933271 by guest on 24 October 2023