Secular trends in cardiovascular risk factors among 38- and 50-year-old women based on the Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg from 1968-69 to 2016-17

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of death in women worldwide. The key risk factors are highly preventable, including smoking, physical inactivity, high alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet, obesity, high blood glucose and diabetes, and elevated blood pressure, blood cholesterol and triglycerides. Aims: To study secular trends in cardiovascular risk factors among middle-aged women in Western Sweden from 1968-69 to 2016-17 and adjust the most recent results between 2004-17 to socio-economic status. Methods: The Population Study of Women in Gothenburg is a prospective observational study initiated in 1968. Representative samples of 38- and 50-year-old women (participation rate 58-91%, n=2488) were invited to a free health examination with physician interview, anthropometric measurements, and blood sampling every 12th year in 1968-69, 1980-81, 1992-93, 2004-05 and 2016-17. Results: Between 1968-2017, waist circumferences increased by 10cm in both ages reaching mean values 82 and 85 cm in 2016-17 in 38- and 50-year-olds, respectively. Plasma glucose levels increased over the whole period in both ages with highest increase between 2004-2017. High regular exercising increased, and inactivity decreased both between 1968-2017 and 2004-2017 but not equally in the lower socio-economic groups. Blood pressure and smoking decreased over the entire period, but these trends levelled off between 2004-2017. Conclusion: There is a remaining concern of overweight and high blood glucose, and socio-economic differences in the improvements in physical activity. It is important to target health care actions and political decisions to decrease overweight and metabolic risk factors as well as to promote physical activity in all socio-economic groups.