Association of Health Risk Behaviors with Cardiovascular Diseases: A Hospital-based Case Study in Noakhali district, Bangladesh

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases have become the most significant cause of global mortality and morbidity, particularly

for low and middle-income countries such as Bangladesh. This condition is widely attributable to unhealthy

outcomes in its association with risk factors such as age, obesity, smoking, low socioeconomic state, and

sedentary lifestyle, which play a significant role in the progression of cardiovascular diseases. A prospective

case study conducted in a few hospitals (both government and private) of Noakhali district, Bangladesh, and

50 subjects were included in the study. About 52% of patients had total cholesterol above normal level (>200

mg/dl), 64% of patients had triglycerides >150mg/dl, and hence HDL level also showed poor level for 80%

of the patients (<40mg/dl). About 58% were smokers, and 68% consumed smokeless tobacco at a certain

point and mostly relied on carbohydrate consumption in their diet. 42% of them are living a sedentary

lifestyle, and male patients had significantly higher triglyceride levels than females (P<0.035). Moreover,

with the increase of age, the level of physical activity decreased with time (p<0.003), and female patients

were more lethargic than males in doing so (p<0.033). Obesity creped into patients if there were either

widowed or separated from their partners (p<0.009) with reducing physical mobility (p<0.007). Smokeless

tobacco uses found to be high in patients with low education levels (p<0.005). Our study showed that the

common risk factors among our subjects without comorbidity were age, obesity and overweight, physical

inactivity, low socioeconomic status, and smoking.