• Olumide Ebenezer Olufayo, Ikeoluwapo Oyeneye Ajayi, and Samuel Osobuchi Ngene.
• MD, MSc. Post-Master's Student, Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
• Sao Paulo Med J. 2022 Jan 1; 141 (2): 9810698-106.

BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the second leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, there is substantial evidence that modifiable risk factors for CVD are increasing in adolescents. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of information on the prevalence and clustering of these risk factors in adolescents.ObjectivesThis study explores the modifiable risk factors for CVD among first-year students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.Design And SettingThis cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.MethodsA total of 546 newly admitted students at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, were recruited using stratified random sampling. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from study participants between January and February 2016.ResultsThe mean age of respondents was 19 ± 2.2 years with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1. The reported risk factors for CVD were smoking (1.6%), abdominal obesity (3.3%), alcohol consumption (3.7%), overweight/obesity (20.7%), unhealthy diet (85.3%), and physical inactivity (94.5%). Clustering of ≥ 2 risk factors was reported in 23.4% of students. Female students were twice as probably overweight/obese as male students (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.2; confidence interval [CI] = 1.41-3.43). Students whose fathers were skilled workers were 3.5 times more likely to be physically inactive (AOR = 1.7; CI = 0.97-2.96). The clustering of ≥ 2 risk factors was significantly higher among women and Muslims in bivariate analysis, whereas no significant association was found in multivariate analysis.ConclusionsPublic health strategies to prevent CVD risk factors should begin in schools and extend to the entire community.

34 keywords...

hide…