Risk factors of deaths related to cardiovascular diseases in World Health Organization (WHO) member countries

This study aims to identify the risk factors affecting deaths related to cardiovascular diseases. The research population comprised of 194 World Health Organization (WHO) member countries, but the data analysis was conducted with the data from 152 countries as 42 of them do not have any data on study variables. Multivariable regression analysis was utilised for this study to analyse the effect of factors regarding metabolism, lifestyle, economic, socio-demographic and health system on the cardiovascular diseases related to deaths. As a result of regression analysis, the number of deaths related to cardiovascular diseases increases with the increase in blood pressure (p < .001), blood glucose (p = .032), obesity rate (p < .001), salt consumption (p < .001), GINI index (p = .002) and dependent age ratio (p < .001); the frequency of cardiovascular disease-related deaths is higher in the countries within low (p < .001) and high (p < .001) middle-income levels; yet, the number of deaths based on cardiovascular diseases diminishes with the increase in the number of doctors (p = .005) and health expenditures per capita (p = .044). The research findings are considered to guide the countries in the determination of their steps towards the prevention of deaths related to cardiovascular diseases