Prevalência de risco cardiovascular e fatores associados em estudantes universitários da área da saúde na cidade de Santarém-Pa

Abstract

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although more prevalent among adults and the elderly, risk factors associated with CVDs have been increasingly identified at early stages in young populations, including university students in health-related fields. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk and associated factors among university students in health-related programs in the city of Santarém, Pará, Brazil. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 249 participants from two higher education institutions in Santarém-PA. The first stage of the study consisted of completing an electronic questionnaire (Google Forms) that collected sociodemographic data, body image satisfaction, self-reported health risk behaviors, comorbidities, physical activity levels, and individual lifestyle profiles. The second stage involved a physical examination to assess anthropometric and cardiovascular characteristics. The final stage consisted of collecting biological samples (blood) for biochemical analysis of serum lipid levels. Cardiovascular risk was assessed using the modified Framingham Global Risk Score (GRS). For all statistical analyses, a significance level of p≤0.05 and a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were used. Results: The overall results revealed concerning proportions in relation to intermediate lifestyle (56.38%), body dissatisfaction due to excess weight (47.74%), overweight (45.27%), prehypertension (38.27%), lipid alterations such as low HDL-c (32.73%) and isolated hypertriglyceridemia (30.91%), and high GRS (24.24%). Age, smoking, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, and altered lipid profile were significantly associated with the global risk score, indicating cardiovascular vulnerability even among young adults. Significant correlations were observed between biochemical indicators of dyslipidemia and increased GRS. Conclusion: The prevalence of elevated cardiovascular risk in the study sample was 24.24%. The findings suggest a relevant cardiovascular vulnerability among university students, particularly regarding modifiable factors such as smoking, obesity, and dyslipidemia. These results reinforce the need for preventive strategies and health promotion efforts starting in youth, especially among students in health-related academic programs.