Prevalence and clustering of cardiovascular risk factors: a cross-sectional survey among Nanjing adults in China

OBJECTIVES: To estimate prevalence and clustering of cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs), and investigate the association between relevant characteristics and CRF clustering among adults in eastern China. DESIGN: Community-based cross-sectional study. SETTING: Data were collected by interview survey, physical measurements and laboratory examinations from the 2011 Nanjing Chronic Disease and Risk Factor Surveillance. PARTICIPANTS: A representative sample of 41 072 residents aged ≥18 years volunteered to participate in the survey, with a response rate of 91.3%. We excluded 1232 subjects due to missing data or having a history of cardiovascular diseases; a total of 39 840 participants were included in the analysis. OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence and clustering of five major CRFs including hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, overweight or obesity and current smoking. RESULTS: Of 39 840 participants (mean age 47.9±16.2 years), 17 964 (45.1%) were men and 21 876 (54.9%) were women. The weighted prevalence of CRFs ranged between 6.2% for diabetes and 35.6% for overweight or obesity. The proportion of CRFs tended to be higher in men, the elderly, participants who lost a life partner, or lived in rural areas, or had lower level of education and total annual income. Overall, 30.1% and 35.2% of participants had one and at least two CRFs, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that men, older age, loss of a life partner, lower level of socioeconomic status, rural areas, insufficient physical activity or unhealthy diets were positively associated with CVD risk factor clustering, compared with their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: High regional prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidaemia, overweight or obesity and their clustering are present in Nanjing. The Nanjing government should develop effective public health policies at the regional level especially for high-risk groups, such as enhancing the public's health awareness, organising health promotion programmes, implementing smoke-free law, producing healthy nutrient foods, providing free or low-cost public sports and fitness facilities.