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PREVALENCE AND SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC DETERMINANTS OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN A RURAL AREA
Author(s) -
Peach Hedley G.,
Bath Nicole E.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
australian journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.48
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1440-1584
pISSN - 1038-5282
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1584.1999.00198.x
Subject(s) - overweight , medicine , logistic regression , triglyceride , obesity , gerontology , blood pressure , population , rural area , disease , metropolitan area , environmental health , demography , cholesterol , pathology , sociology
Non‐metropolitan areas have a higher mortality from cardiovascular disease than metropolitan areas. The study’s aim was to establish the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors in a rural area and identify their sociodemographic determinants. Adults, randomly selected from Ballarat’s electoral rolls, were invited to complete a questionnaire and have their height, weight, blood pressure and fasting lipids measured. Three hundred and thirty‐eight eligible persons participated (67% response). The data were analysed using logistic and multiple regression analyses. Increasing age was associated with hypertension, high plasma cholesterol, overweight/obesity, high plasma triglyceride levels and increasing plasma fibrinogen. Women were less likely to be overweight/obese and have a high plasma triglyceride. Not having completed high school was associated with hypertension, high plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels and physical inactivity. Smoking was associated with employment and being in a non‐professional/managerial occupation. Rural health promotion initiatives should take account of the needs of these population subgroups.