Cardiometabolic risk factors in the Agarwal business community in India: Jaipur Heart Watch-6

Background: Agarwal is one of the largest business communities in India. To determine prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and their distribution according to educational status (ES) in this community we performed a study. Methods: 1781 (men 1039, women 742) of 2500 selected subjects (71.2%) were evaluated and fasting blood sample obtained in 1130. Results: Age-adjusted prevalence of risk factors was tobacco use 12.2%, sedentary habits 54.2%, overweight/obesity 54.4%, obesity 19.5%, abdominal obesity 61.2%, hypertension 36.0%, diabetes 19.2%, hypercholesterolemia ≥200 mg/dl 25.8%, low HDL cholesterol 29.2%, hypertriglyceridemia 32.8% and metabolic syndrome 22.3%. Low ES subjects had significantly greater prevalence of sedentary habits, low fruit/vegetable intake, hypertension, low HDL cholesterol and diabetes. Conclusions: Cardiometabolic risk factors are highly prevalent in the Agarwal business community. Prevalence is greater in subjects with low educational status