The Effect of Risk Factors on Cardiovascular Vascular Diseases in Mauritius

Abstract

Problem statement: Recent studies provided clear evidences that Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) and risk factors of CVD are on the rise worldwide. It has been shown that countries which are in the developing stage are more at risk. Mauritius, being an island in its full swing of development and economic boom, is facing a huge problem in terms of health hazards, CVD being a major cause of concern. Approach: According to research, CVD is the leading cause of death in Mauritius and its contribution to mortality is rising. In this study, the risk factors of CVD had been assessed among the Mauritian population where qualitative and quantitative data was collected using detailed questionnaire, food frequency questionnaire and an in depth interview was conducted. Respondents were among the age group of 20-60 years of age taken from both rural and urban region and comprised of all ethnic groups. Results: CVD among the Mauritian population is highly prevalent with 10.2% of the studied population already suffering from this type of disease. Several risk factors and causes such as inappropriate eating habits, lack of physical activities, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, stress and tension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, high blood pressure and being overweight, amongst others, had been found to be very much prevalent among the studied individuals. Conclusion: Various factors can be attributed to this, among which eating habits, food consumption and lack of exercises prime. Furthermore, based on the results obtained from this survey, which had confirmed quite a lot of theories, it had been found that a change in diet and lifestyle can be highly beneficial for health and prevention of CVD and lower the threat of contracting risk factors of CVD as well.