Fatores de risco cardiovascular em universitários em uma universidade da Amazônia Legal

Abstract

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading global cause of mortality for men and women. The World Health Organization (WHO) attributes one third of the world's deaths (15.3 million) to cardiovascular diseases, with developing countries contributing 86% of these deaths. Objective: To identify cardiovascular risk factors in nursing university enrolled in a public higher education institution. Methods: This is a descriptive, exploratory, cross-sectional, field study with a quantitative approach. Conducted with the students of the nursing course of the Federal University of Tocantins (UFT). The collection took place in 5 stages: contact with coordination, contact with students, collection of anthropometric data and blood pressure and interview with application of research instruments. Results: Of the 61 university students, the majority were female 50 (82%), aged between 18 and 43 years and mean of 22.2 (± 3.89) years, white 23 (37.7%) and singles 52 (85.2%). Most of them never used alcoholic beverages 29 (47.5%) and tobacco 54 (88.5%), in addition to regularly exercising 26 (42.6%). Discussion: Some participants presented a probable alcohol dependence, being worrisome, since ethanol causes an increase in blood pressure. Most students also reported regularly exercising more than 3 times a week, and maintain a balanced diet, attitudes that lead to decreased cardiovascular risks. Some participants presented obesity and systemic artery hypertension (SAH), data that warn of the development of CVD. Final Considerations: From this study, it was noticed that a part of the university students see adopting a healthier routine, thus reducing cardiovascular risks. On the other hand, the presence of overweight and SAH draw attention. In addition, more research is needed to develop strategies to promote the health and quality of life of university students.