Comparison of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in male and female nurses

Cardiovascular disease is one of the most important causes of mortality in the world; identifying and correcting the modifiable risk factors reduce the prevalence of coronary artery disorders. Nurses, with regard to their employment conditions, can be prone to cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to compare the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in male and female nurses.

In this descriptive cross‑sectional study, 263 nurses from Jahrom University of Medical Sciences hospitals were enrolled in the study by convenience sampling. The data collection tool was self‑report Framingham Risk Score and has two parts: first part: personal data, history of disease, history, cigarette, stress and fat disorder, alcohol consumption, diet, exercise, and average hours and second part: height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist‑to‑stature ratio (WSR), waist‑to‑hip ratio (WHR), blood pressure, triglyceride (TG), cholesterol, and fasting blood sugar. The benchmark for blood pressure was the JNC‑7 guide. The Adult Treatment Panel III was the guideline. Independent t‑test, Chi‑square, and Mann–Whitney tests were used for data analysis.

None of the staff reported smoking or alcohol history. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean of fasting blood glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, TG and cholesterol, Framingham percentage, religious practices, green tea and black tea, fish, vegetables, and fast food. The data were analyzed with independent t‑test, Chi‑square, and Mann–Whitney tests. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean of fasting blood glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, TG and cholesterol, Framingham Percentage, religious practices, green tea and black tea, fish, vegetables, and fast food and sports and walking of men and women were not observed. However, there was a statistically significant difference between women and men in indicators such as eating breakfast, family history, fruit consumption, high‑density lipoprotein, BMI, WSR, and WHR.

The results of the study showed that men are at higher risk for cardiovascular diseases and complications than women.