Perceived psychosocial stress and cardiovascular risk: observations among the Bhutias of Sikkim, India

Abstract

Abstract Psychosocial factors (including psychosocial stress) are documented to be related to morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and their risk factors. The present study examines whether perceived psychosocial stress affects blood pressures, blood lipids and obesity among the Bhutias, a tribal population of Sikkim. A total of 428 Bhutias of both sexes aged 20 years and above inhabiting both urban and rural areas participated after providing informed consent. Data on blood pressures, blood lipids, anthropometrics and a variety of lifestyle‐related factors including perceived stress level were collected following standard methods. The results clearly indicate that perceived stress significantly affects more than one CVD risk factor selected for study both in males and females. Perceived stress significantly affects diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol (TC) and ratio of TC and high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in males, while in females, although significant effect of stress does not exist on blood pressures, significant effects of stress are discernible on Low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, TC/HDL as well as adiposity/obesity measures such as body mass index, waist circumference and waist–hip ratio. Perceived stress remains an independent factor affecting CVD risk factors even after controlling other significant lifestyle‐related predictors. Again, hypertension, both systolic and diastolic, overweight and obesity, have also been significantly affected by perceived stress. It appears that contribution of psychosocial stress in addition to other lifestyle‐related factors remains substantial among a tribal population inhabiting the eastern Himalaya and experiencing rapid socio‐cultural changes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.