Prevalence of major cardiovascular disease risk factors among a group of sub-Saharan African young adults: a population-based cross-sectional study in Yaoundé, Cameroon

Abstract

ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence estimates of some major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in a young adult-aged population living in Yaoundé, Cameroon.DesignA cross-sectional study held from May to July 2017.SettingParticipantsStudents aged 18–35 years, with no known history of CVD, found at the campus during recruitment and who voluntarily agreed to be included in the study.Primary and secondary outcome measuresData were collected on personal and family history as well as lifestyle and nutritional habits; anthropometric parameters and blood pressure were also measured. Prevalence rates were calculated with their respective 95% CI.ResultsOverall, 931 participants (53.8% males) were included, with a median age of 23 years (IQR 21–25). The prevalence estimates for some major CVD risk factors were: 3.1% (95% CI 2.0 to 4.2) for family history of heart attack, 6.3% (95% CI 4.7 to 7.9) for family history of stroke, 26.7% (95% CI 23.9 to 29.5) for hazardous alcohol consumption, 0.9% (95% 0.3 to 1.5) for current tobacco smoking, 27.6% (95% CI 24.7 to 30.5) for secondhand smoking, 88.9% (95% CI 86.9 to 90.9) for physical inactivity, 99.0% (95% CI 98.4 to 99.6) for inadequate fruits and/or vegetables consumption, 39.8% (95% CI 36.7 to 42.9) for self-reported anxiety, 49.2% (95% CI 46.0 to 52.4) for self-reported depression, 22.1% (95% CI 19.4 to 24.8) for overweight, 3.9% (95% CI 2.7 to 5.1) for obesity, 14.4% (95% CI 12.1 to 16.7) for abdominal obesity, 14.5% (95% CI 12.2 to 16.8) for excess body fat mass, 30.0% (95% CI 27.1 to 32.9) for suspected prehypertension and 2.8% (95% CI 1.7 to 3.9) for suspected hypertension.ConclusionThe prevalence of some major CVD risk factors is high among young adults living in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Therefore, specific actions should be undertaken in this population to mitigate the upcoming burden of CVD. Accordingly, younger-aged adult populations should be encouraged and accompanied to practice physical activity, eat healthily, and stop or avoid smoking and/or hazardous alcohol consumption.

Association between food insecurity and key metabolic risk factors for diet-sensitive non-communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…All twenty-two included studies employed cross-sectional study design in stock and covered different geographic settings, distributed across four sub-Saharan Africa regions. A large proportion of the studies (n = 10 studies) was conducted in urban settings 33 – 42 , and four conducted in rural settings 43 – 46 . One study was conducted in a peri-urban 47 , and one study in a semi-rural setting 48 .…”

Association Between Food Insecurity and Key Metabolic Risk Factors for Diet-Sensitive Non-Communicable Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…All twenty-two included studies were cross-sectional by design, and each of the studies focused on the different geographic settings, distributed across four regions of the sub-Saharan Africa (see Figure 2). A large proportion of the studies (n = 10 studies) was conducted in urban settings, [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] and four studies were conducted in rural settings only. [34][35][36][37] One study was conducted in a periurban 38 and one study in a semi-rural setting.…”

“…[40][41][42][43][44][45] Overall, the studies selected for inclusion (n = 22 studies) involved a total of 26 609 participants, 12 453 (46.8%) participants were males, and one study recruited only women of reproductive age living in informal settlements in Accra, Ghana 29 . The distribution of the rest of the studies by countries was as follows: 4 from Ethiopia, 25,27,40,41 ; 1 Nigeria, 24 ; 1 Madagascar, 26 ; 3 Ghana, 29,38,39 ; 1 Zambia, 37 ; 2 Tanzania, 28,35 ; 1 Malawi, 34 ; 1 Cameroon, 33 ; 2 Sudan, 30,31 ; 1 Burkina Faso, 42 ; 1 Kenya, 32 ; 1 Botswana, 45 and 3 studies from South Africa 36,43,44 . Figure 2 shows the study distribution from the four regions of sub-Saharan Africa, with only 1 study from Central Africa 33 and…”

“…In this group of studies, a subset (n = 3 studies) involved designs where researchers measured food insecurity at the household level using the food insecurity access scale criterion. 32,37,40 Another subset (n = 9 studies) measured food insecurity at an individual level using the Minimum Adequate Diet criterion, 24,25,27,31,33,36,37,42,43 the Minimum Dietary Diversity criterion (n = 5 studies), 28,29,38,39,45 and the last subset (n = 4 studies) used more than one tool to gauge food insecurity. 30,37,44,45 While studies on children ≤ 5 years used the Minimum Meal Frequency criterion, 30 the Weight-for-height criterion, 34 and the Quetelet index 26 to ascertain food insecurity.…”

“…In the current review, the WHO STEPwise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance diagnostic criteria was found to be the most used diagnostic tool (n = 8 studies); 24, 25, 27-29, 36, 37, 42 while self-reported pretested questionnaire followed by a physical examination to confirm condition was the second most used diagnostic tool (n = 5 studies). 30,33,38,40,41 One study on seniors ≥ 60 years used the WHO Global Aging and Adult Health (SAGE) criteria to diagnose for metabolic risk factors. 43…”