Risk Factors Distribution and Cardiovascular Disease Prevalence in a Representative Sample of Italian Population: The CHECK Study

Abstract

The assessment of cardiovascular risk represents the essential prerequisite to any health policy aimed to the reduction of modifiable risk factors.The CHECK (Cholesterol and Health: Education, Control and Knowledge) Study originated from this context: CHECK is the first randomized Italian epidemiological study conducted in primary care, composed of a cross-sectional and a longitudinal phase. The main objective is to evaluate the distribution of cardiovascular risk factors and the prevalence of clinically evident cardiovascular disease in a representative sample of the Italian adult population aged 40-79 years.

After the final database clean-up, 5,846 subjects were included in the analysis.Data presented refer to socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics, educational level, occupational status, anthropometric and vital parameters and biochemical levels, prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes and metabolic syndrome and family history for cardiovascular disease and other conditions, cardiovascular risk status. The epidemiological data resulting from the CHECK sample have been compared to other population data available in Italy, such as epidemiological studies (Seven Countries, MONICA, Atlante), and statistical data (ISTAT).

The CHECK study provides a detailed, in depth description of a significant sample of the Italian population, contributing to evaluate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and the main cardiovascular pathologies.

Keywords: Cardiovascular, risk, factors, Italy

JEL Classification: H51, I12, I18