Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Nurses at a Teaching Hospital

IntroductionCardiovascular diseases [CVDs] are responsible for a large number of deaths, sick leave, and early retirements, especially among health professionals, who are constantly exposed to physical and emotional stress. ObjectiveTo identify the prevalence of modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors related to CVDs in the nursing team of a tertiary hospital in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. MethodsThis is a prospective-analytical epidemiological study, of a quantitative nature, conducted on 226 employees, in two stages: collection of self-declared data and measurement of anthropometric data. ResultsRisk factors such as family history of CVD (82.7%), alcoholism (57.1%), sedentary lifestyle (49.1%), insufficient sleep time (27.9%), high consumption of processed meals (98.2%) and sugary beverages (81.7%) were observed, among others. From anthropometric data, it was identified that 69.4% of participants were overweight (38.7%) or obese (30.6%) - evidenced by high waist circumference (48.6%) and a high waist-to-hip ratio (64.0%) - in addition to 17.1% who had blood pressure levels indicative of arterial hypertension. The majority reported not having been diagnosed with CVDs (76.1%), however, among those who did, more than half (53.7%) did not treat them properly. ConclusionIt was observed that the prevalence of CVDs is not irrelevant in the group evaluated and that there are risk factors indicating a tendency for participants to develop new CVDs or aggravate existing ones - due to the presence of harmful habits associated with an unhealthy lifestyle and lack of adherence to treatments.