Cardiovascular risk factors in Chilean university students

Objective. To study the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in asymptomatic university students of both sexes, aged 18 to 25 years. Material and methods. Serum lipid levels were measured in a subsample of 293 subjects, using a Hitachi 717 chemical analyzer. Obesity was classified using Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements. A self-applied questionnaire was used to collect data on sedentary life style, family history of cardiovascular disease and cigarette smoking, Statistical associations of lipid levels with lipidic and non-lipidic risk factors were assessed using Pearson's chi(2) test and multiple regression. Results. We found lipid risk levels in 29.2% for Total Cholesterol (CT), 16.2% for Low Density Lipoproteins (C-LDL) and 5% for High Density Lipoproteins (C-HDL). The main non-lipidic factors were smoking (46.1%) and sedentarism (60.8%). Obesity, hypertension and parental history of myocardial infarction were present in 1.9%, 4.6% and 11%, respectively. We observed an association of a lipid risk profile with obesity cigarette smoking and family history. Conclusions. The results show that sedentarism and smoking are associated with a lipid risk profile,These results call for the need to develop appropriate behavior strategies for the successful prevention of cardiovascular disease.