Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Clustering Among the Adult Population of China

TLDR

Cardiovascular disease risk factors are increasingly common in China. This study examined the prevalence of clustering of modifiable CVD risk factors among Chinese adults aged 35–74 using the InterAsia survey and compared the findings with US adults from NHANES 1999–2000. Among 14,690 Chinese adults, 80.5% had at least one, 45.9% had at least two, and 17.2% had at least three modifiable CVD risk factors, compared with 93.1%, 73.0%, and 35.9% of US adults, and multivariate analysis showed older age, male sex, urban residence, and northern region were associated with higher odds of clustering, underscoring the need for national prevention strategies.

Abstract

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors has been increasing in China.We examined the prevalence of CVD risk factor clustering among Chinese adults aged 35 to 74 years with data from the International Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Disease in Asia (InterAsia), a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample (n=14 690) conducted during 2000 to 2001 and compared these data with those of US adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 1999 to 2000. Overall, 80.5%, 45.9%, and 17.2% of Chinese adults had > or =1, > or =2, and > or =3 modifiable CVD risk factors (dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, and overweight), respectively. By comparison, 93.1%, 73.0%, and 35.9% of US adults had > or =1, > or =2, and > or =3 of these risk factors, respectively. In a multivariate model including age, sex, and area of residence, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval [CI]) of having > or =1, > or =2, and > or =3 CVD risk factors versus none of the studied risk factors was 2.61 (95% CI, 2.09 to 3.27), 3.55 (95% CI, 2.77 to 4.54), and 4.97 (95% CI, 3.67 to 6.74), respectively, for Chinese adults 65 to 74 years old versus 35 to 44 years old; 3.65 (95% CI, 3.21 to 4.15), 4.67 (95% CI, 4.06 to 5.38), and 5.60 (95% CI, 4.70 to 6.67), respectively, for men compared with women; 1.18 (95% CI, 1.07 to 1.30), 1.34 (95% CI, 1.21 to 1.50), and 1.84 (95% CI, 1.60 to 2.12), respectively, for urban compared with rural residents; and 1.98 (95% CI, 1.76 to 2.22), 2.75 (95% CI, 2.42 to 3.13), and 4.36 (95% CI, 3.68 to 5.18), respectively, for residents of northern compared with southern China.Clustering of CVD risk factors is common in China. Prevention, detection, and treatment of CVD risk factor clustering should be an important component of a national strategy to reduce the increasing burden of CVD in China.