REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTOR PREVALENCE IN TASMANIA - ARE THEY CONSISTENT WITH THE INCREASED CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY

Background: The death rate from cardiovascular disease in Tasmania has been among the highest in Australian States for a number of years. Th e North-West (NW) and Northern regions of Tasmania account for most of the increased mortality. Aims: To determine the prevalence of cardiov ascular risk factors in the North and NW regions of Tasmania and to as certain whether any differences are consistent with the regional patte rns of mortality for ischaemic heart disease (IHD) within the State. M ethods: The design of the study was almost identical to the previous N ational Heart Foundation (NHF) Risk Factor Prevalence Survey conducted in 1989. The subjects, aged 20-69 years, were randomly selected from the Electoral Roll with 1146 subjects participating in the North and 1 219 in the NW. Subjects answered a detailed questionnaire and then und erwent a brief physical examination with venipuncture for blood lipids . Hobart data from the NHF Risk Factor Prevalence Survey in 1989 were used as an estimate of risk factor prevalence in the Southern region. Results: In both males and females, mean systolic blood pressure was s ignificantly higher in the NW than the South which was in turn higher than the North. Mean serum cholesterol levels in males were higher in the NW than the North. Smoking behaviour was similar in males and fema les in all regions. Males and females in the NW and North were more in active than those in the South. Similar proportions in all regions wer e on either 'no specific' or 'fat modified' diets. Body mass index in males and females was higher in the NW and North but waist to hip rati os failed to show a consistent-trend Conclusions: While the NW has an unfavourable risk factor profile compared with the South, the North do es not. The risk factor data are broadly consistent with, but unlikely to be sufficient to explain fully, the regional differences in mortal ity from IHD.