[Arterial hypertension and obesity in Ilha do Governador-Rio de Janeiro]. / Hipertensão arterial e obesidade na Ilha do Governador-Rio de Janeiro.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between hypertension and obesity and also their prevalence in the adult population from Ilha do Governador-Rio de Janeiro. METHODS: It is a domiciliar inquiry, with a probalistic cluster sample in two stages. We interviewed 1272 adult residents in the selected households. Social-demographic information, anthropometric measures, habits related to smoking, physical activities and blood pressure were registered. RESULTS: The prevalence of hypertension-systolic pressure > or = 160mmHg or diastolic pressure > or = 95mmHg or anti-hypertensive treatment at the moment of the interview, was 24.9% whereas the prevalence of obesity-body mass index (BMI) > or = 27kg/m2 was 28.4%. The prevalence of hypertension increased 2.4 fold from the lowest (< 25kg/m2) to the highest (> or = 30kg/m2) band of BMI. It was observed an association between hypertension and obesity that persisted after adjusting for sex, age, skin color, smoking, physical activity and level of education. Interaction of obesity with sex, age and skin color was found. The association between hypertension and obesity was stronger for men, for the youngest and also for the white people. CONCLUSION: The results point out the necessary of actions to prevent and control the occurrence of both hypertension and obesity, mainly at younger ages, to decrease the rates of cardiovascular diseases.

[Cholesterol and other cardiovascular risk factors among employees of the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Prevalence and influence of social variables]. / Colesterol e outros fatores de risco cardiovascular nos servidores da UFRJ. Prevalência e influência de variáveis sociais.

PURPOSE: To investigate the presence of cardiovascular risk factors in employees of the "Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro". PATIENTS AND METHODS: A survey of 250 men age ranging from 35 to 64 years, randomly selected among 4651 employees of URFJ, was done. They were invited by letter to a consultation at which previously trained personnel applied a questionnaire to investigate about their education level, income, occupation, smoking habit, and use of anti-hypertensive drugs. They also had their blood pressure, height and weight measured and underwent a blood sample collection for serum cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol analysis. This procedure followed a standardized protocol. RESULTS: Two hundred and nine subjects (83.6%) were examined. The characteristics of age, education, and occupation were similar for responders and non-responders. The mean (+/- standard deviation) for total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure were respectively: 210 +/- 21.9 mg/dl; 41.1 +/- 12.4 mg/dl; 129.7 +/- 24.0 and 80.4 +/- 17.7. The prevalence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and smoking were: 30%, 22% and 38%. The prevalence of these risk factors together was 4%. Only SBP and DBP were statistically different when analyzed by income or education strata. There was a strong positive correlation between body mass index and serum cholesterol and blood pressure levels. CONCLUSION: In spite of the high education level and income of this sample for brazilian standards, the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases is very high, especially for the overweight and the socially less favoured. More precise indicators of dietary habits and socio-economic and cultural status are necessary to develop adequate interventional strategies. The control of obesity seems to be a desirable goal in achieving the concurrent control of associated risk factors.