HEART-DISEASE RISK-FACTORS IN THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY OF SOUTHWESTERN SYDNEY

Despite low mortality from heart disease in the New South Wales Vietna mese community, the prevalence of risk factors for heart disease has b een increasing. This study sought to identify the prevalence of heart disease risk factors in the Vietnamese community in southwestern Sydne y. In 1991, 389 randomly selected Vietnamese-born residents of southwe stern Sydney (79.2 per cent response rate) were interviewed by telepho ne about their risk status. Sixty-one per cent of this sample agreed t o a second interview in their homes where physical measurements were t aken. Smoking prevalence was high in males (53 per cent), whereas rais ed blood pressure (5.1 per cent), high blood cholesterol (21.1 per cen t) and over-weight (14.0 per cent) had a low prevalence compared to Na tional Heart Foundation data for the general population. Interventions targeting males about smoking should be a health promotion priority, and the maintenance of the traditional Vietnamese diet should be encou raged.