SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS, CHRONIC DISEASES AND LIFESTYLE HABITS ASSOCIATED WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL: A POPULATION-BASED STUDY WITH THE ELDERLY
METHODS: Data were obtained from a population survey with 1705 people over 60 years, in the years 2009-10. It was considered as cardiovascular disease when the elderly reported to have heart disease, heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular disease. The independent variables were gender, age, marital status, ethnicity, education, per capita income in tertiles, privite health insurence, rheumatologic disease, diabetes, pulmonary disease, hypertension, alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity, body mass index for elderly, waist circumference, intake of fruits and vegetables recommended by WHO. Descriptive, bivariate, and crude and adjusted Poisson regression was performed to identify independent factors.
RESULTS: Among the elderly respondents, 63.9% were female, 50.1% aged between 60 and 69 years, 58.2% were married, 85.5% were white . The prevalence of cardiovascular disease was 32.4%. The independent factors were being male, having more than 70 years, have rheumatologic disease, diabetes, pulmonary disease, hypertension and to be insufficiently active.
CONCLUSIONS: In this population, the economic characteristics and lifestyle habits, except physical activity, were not associated with cardiovascular disease, however all chronic diseases studied increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease. The lack of association between economic factors and some lifestyle habits could be due to improved access to health and public policies to reduce these diseases.