Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors of elderly persons in Taiwan

Cardiovascular disease has been one of the top-ten causes of death continuously for older persons in Taiwan. However, There is still a lack of sufficient information on prevalence rates of cardiovascular risk factors. The present study was intended to provide prevalence rates of biological and behavioral risk factors for cardiovascular disease by gender, age group, and dwelling area. Data were extracted from a nationwide, cross-sectional, geriatric survey (1989-1991) by four medical centers in Taiwan. A total of 2,600 community senior residents were successfully interviewed for analysis. For the whole sample, hypertension was found to be the most prevalent biological risk factor (36.9%), while being overweight was the first behavioral risk factor (34.38%). By gender, higher prevalence rates of biological risk factors were found in older women except for the low value of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C); higher prevalence rates of behavioral risk factors were found in men except for being overweight. No statistically significant difference in prevalence rates was found between the 65-74 and 75+ years age groups. By dwelling area, significant differences in the prevalence rates of risk factors existed across the four study areas. In conclusion, hypertension and excessive weight are critical cardiovascular risk factors that can be early identified or prevented by screening programs and health education. Cardiovascular prevention programs for elderly people should be designed in their gender and dwelling area.