TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence and awareness of risk factors and behaviours of coronary heart disease in an urban population of Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan
T2 - A community survey
AU - Dodani, Sunita
AU - Mistry, Rozina
AU - Farooqi, Muna
AU - Khwaja, Aftab
AU - Qureshi, Riaz
AU - Kazmi, Khawar
PY - 2004/9
Y1 - 2004/9
N2 - Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and awareness of risk factors and risk behaviours of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the lower middle class residing in urban localities of Karachi, a mega city of Pakistan. Methods: The design consisted of a cross-sectional community based survey in the lower middle class urban localities of Karimabad, Garden and Kharardar in Karachi, Pakistan. One thousand four hundred adults (18 years and above) registered with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) participated in the survey. Life style, self-reported risk variables, blood pressure and anthropometric measurements were recorded. Results: Prevalence of hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes were 38.5, 10.7 and 9.1 per cent, respectively. 52.2 per cent of the sample was overweight or obese; 64.8 per cent never exercised; 11.9 per cent had two or more major risk factors of CHD. Conclusion: The communities studied showed a very high prevalence of hypertension, obesity and a sedentary life style. Despite a high literacy rate, awareness regarding CHD risk factors was low. This underlines the need for measures to increase awareness regarding CHD and its risk factors and a healthy lifestyle in the developing countries.
AB - Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and awareness of risk factors and risk behaviours of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the lower middle class residing in urban localities of Karachi, a mega city of Pakistan. Methods: The design consisted of a cross-sectional community based survey in the lower middle class urban localities of Karimabad, Garden and Kharardar in Karachi, Pakistan. One thousand four hundred adults (18 years and above) registered with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) participated in the survey. Life style, self-reported risk variables, blood pressure and anthropometric measurements were recorded. Results: Prevalence of hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes were 38.5, 10.7 and 9.1 per cent, respectively. 52.2 per cent of the sample was overweight or obese; 64.8 per cent never exercised; 11.9 per cent had two or more major risk factors of CHD. Conclusion: The communities studied showed a very high prevalence of hypertension, obesity and a sedentary life style. Despite a high literacy rate, awareness regarding CHD risk factors was low. This underlines the need for measures to increase awareness regarding CHD and its risk factors and a healthy lifestyle in the developing countries.
KW - Coronary heart disease
KW - Developing countries
KW - Hypertension
KW - Prevalence
KW - Risk factors
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=4744349605&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/pubmed/fdh154
DO - 10.1093/pubmed/fdh154
M3 - Article
C2 - 15454591
AN - SCOPUS:4744349605
SN - 1741-3842
VL - 26
SP - 245
EP - 249
JO - Journal of Public Health
JF - Journal of Public Health
IS - 3
ER -