Ideal cardiovascular health and its associated factors among young people in Zhuhai, China: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the status of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) among young individuals in Zhuhai, China, and analyse the factors that affect it, providing a basis for formulating prevention strategies for cardiovascular diseases in young people. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: The Health Management Centre of the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Zhuhai, China. PARTICIPANTS: 944 young individuals aged between 18 and 40 years were included. INCLUSION CRITERIA: at least a primary school education, the ability to communicate effectively in the local language and willingness to provide informed consent. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: a history of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, cognitive impairment, previous tumour diagnoses, prior mental illnesses, severe liver, kidney and lung diseases and pregnancy. OUTCOME MEASURES: Ideal CVH Scale scores and factors associated with ideal CVH among young populations. RESULTS: The median score for ideal CVH among young individuals in Zhuhai was found to be 10 (9, 11), with 0.5% having all seven ideal CVH items, 1.6% exhibiting four ideal CVH behaviours and 45.1% possessing three ideal CVH physiological and biochemical factors. The proportions of seven CVH factors in an ideal state were as follows: physical activity, 13.3%; healthy diet, 30.9%; Body Mass Index, 54.6%; smoking, 81.1%; blood pressure, 56.2%; total cholesterol, 76.7% and blood sugar, 96.6%. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that gender (β=-0.328, p=0.001, 95% CI -1.447 to -0.996), education level (β=0.068, p=0.046, 95% CI 0.004 to 0.451) and per capita monthly household income (β=0.092, p=0.007, 95% CI 0.050 to 0.320) were the main influencing factors on ideal CVH, explaining 12.3% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: The ideal CVH status of young individuals in Zhuhai is not optimistic. Young males with low education levels and lower per capita family income are particularly lacking in ideal CVH behaviours. Therefore, these individuals should be targeted for interventions in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.