Cross-sectional study of major modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults in Morocco

Background: Mortality due to cardiovascular disease in Morocco is estimated at 38%, making it a significant burden on public health. Aim: To provide updated estimates of the prevalence of major modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults in Morocco. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study collected and analysed sociodemographic, lifestyle, medical and anthropometric data from 731 adults aged ≥18 years in Casablanca, Morocco, in 2018. Results: Of the participants, 81.1% reported physical inactivity, with higher prevalence among women than men (P = 0.031). Prevalence of smoking was 18.2% and of alcohol consumption 6.8%, with stronger male predominance (P < 0.0001), while prevalence of obesity was 20.7% and of overweight 30.8%. Central obesity affected 8.7% of men and 61.1% of women. Diabetes prevalence was 6.6% (10.3% among women, 3.2% among men; P < 0.001), while arterial hypertension affected 9.6% (14.8% of women, 4.8% of men; P < 0.001) of the participants. Conclusion: The significant high levels of modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors found by this study among adults in Casablanca, Morocco, highlight the need for more effective and more sustainable cardiovascular disease prevention strategies and policies among the population.