Some Heart Disease
Risk Factors on the Rise

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If findings from one US city are any indication, efforts to get Americans to reduce cholesterol, stay slim and exercise more haven't fared very well over the last two decades.

"Heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death, respectively, in the United States," the researchers explain. As such, public health experts believe that Americans should avoid behaviors that put them at high risk for these diseases, such as smoking or eating a high-fat diet.

"Continued assessment of...trends in risk factors is needed to inform population strategies to reduce risk and predict the future burden of cardiovascular disease," Dr. Donna K. Arnett and colleagues from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis write in the new study.

The researchers conducted four surveys of adults living in Minneapolis-St. Paul, in 1980-1982, 1985-1987, 1990-1992 and 1995-1997. Each survey included 4,000 to 6,000 people. The findings are published in the November issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Over the course of the study, dietary fat consumption fell, as did the proportion of people with high blood pressure and the percentage of smokers. The number of people using drugs to lower blood pressure and cut cholesterol also grew.

But blood cholesterol and obesity climbed, and people's level of physical activity fell.

"These findings suggest that the population burden of cardiovascular disease may increase in the near future. Programs or strategies targeted to increased physical activity, reductions in body weight, and improved diet and eating patterns are urgently needed," the authors conclude.

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology 2002;156:929-935.

Reference Source 89

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