A Cross-Sectional Study on the Prevalence of Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors among First year Medical Students of Madras Medical College, Chennai, 2012.
Abstract
Introduction- Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are showing increasing trends in the developing countries already burdened with infectious diseases. The risk factors for these diseases are established during childhood and adolescence. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of selected modifiable cardiovascular risk factors among the first year undergraduate medical students. Methods and Materials- The study was carried out among 132 first year undergraduate medical students of Madras Medical College. Dietary and physical activity risk factors for CVDs were assessed using a questionnaire and the height, weight, waist circumference and blood pressure was measured among them. Results- The overall prevalence of overweight among the students was 12.87 with boys showing 15.2 and girls showing 9.4 prevalence. There was statistical significance in the overweight prevalence between students from rural and urban areas. The prevalence of hypertension was 15.2 and 1.9 among male and female students respectively and this was significant statistically (p value 0.023). 62.3 of the students had a sedentary lifestyle and 57.22 of the students had unhealthy junk food intake. Conclusion- High prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases is present among the study population. Healthy lifestyle practices must be adequately emphasised among the medical students to promote their health and to be fit as role models for the patient community.
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