Key result
Living in communities with <1000 inhabitants was associated with significantly higher cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, diabetes prevalence, and BMI compared to communities with >15000 inhabitants.
Why the study?
Do cardiovascular risk factor levels differ between communities of different sizes in northern Sweden?
Cross-Sectional (n=6,167)
Yes
Do cardiovascular risk factor levels differ between communities of different sizes in northern Sweden?
Cardiovascular risk factors are more prevalent in smaller communities compared to larger ones in northern Sweden, indicating geographic health disparities.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May inform targeted prevention in small northern Swedish communities; leaves open causal mechanisms and generalizability.
AIM: To compare the levels of the main cardiovascular risk factors in communities of different sizes in northern Sweden. METHODS: Blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking habits, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, and body mass index for 6167 men and women below age 65 were examined in the Northern Sweden MONICA surveys in 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1999. The size of the community where each individual lived and the levels of relevant confounders were also recorded. RESULTS: The proportion of persons with a higher educational level decreased gradually with decreasing community size. Total serum cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and the body mass index were significantly higher in the smallest communities (<1000 inhabitants) as compared with the largest (>15000 inhabitants) but there were fewer smokers among men in the smallest communities. The time trends indicated an overall decreasing serum cholesterol level and increasing body mass index for both sexes and a decreasing proportion of smokers among men during the years surveyed. CONCLUSIONS: There are differences in levels of cardiovascular risk factors between communities of different sizes in the Northern Sweden MONICA area, mainly to the disadvantage of the smallest communities.
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Messner et al. (2003) conducted a cross-sectional in Cardiovascular risk factors (n=6,167). Small community size (<1000 inhabitants) vs. Large community size (>15000 inhabitants) was evaluated on Cardiovascular risk factor levels (blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, BMI). Living in communities with <1000 inhabitants was associated with significantly higher cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, diabetes prevalence, and BMI compared to communities with >15000 inhabitants.
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