Prevalence of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors among tea garden and general population in Dibrugarh, Assam, India

Introduction: Risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) are multifactorial. Previous research has reported a high prevalence of CVD risk factors in teagarden workers. This study was conducted to assess prevalence and level of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors among tea-garden and general population in Dibrugarh, Assam. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study using the World Health Organization's (WHO) Stepwise methodology was conducted in Dibrugarh District of Assam. A multistep random sampling was done to include adults aged 35 years and above, with an intended equal sampling from tea-garden and general population. INTERHEART modifiable non-laboratory based risk score was estimated. Salt consumption was estimated using questionnaire-based methods in both subgroups. Results: A total of 2826 individuals participated in the study (1231 [43.6%] tea-garden workers; 1595 [56.4%] general population). Tobacco consumption was higher in tea-garden workers as compared with general population (85.2% vs. 41.7% (p < 0.0001). Mean daily per-capita salt consumption was also significantly higher among tea-garden workers (29.60 vs. 22.89 g, p = 0.0001). Overall prevalence of hypertension was similar (44.4% vs. 45.2%), but among those who had hypertension, prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension was higher in tea-garden workers (82.8%) vs. 74.4%, p < 0.0001). Tea-garden workers had lower BMI, were more physically active, and had a lower prevalence of diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. Their INTERHEART modifiable risk score was also lower (1.44 [2.5] vs. 1.79 [2.8], p = 0.001). Conclusion: High prevalence of modifiable risk factors like tobacco consumption, high salt intake and high prevalence of hypertension indicates the need for early implementation of preventive actions in this population. (C) 2013 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.