Assessment of cardiovascular risk factors among residents of a city in Jordan.

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in many countries. The purpose of this study was to assess cardiovascular risk factors in a stratified randomly selected sample of a city near Amman, Jordan. A stratified sample of two hundred and nine randomly selected households were selected for this study. Adults from each of the households who agreed to participate in this study were asked about their cardiovascular risk factors including cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and sedentary lifestyle. The sample consisted of 84 males and 125 females ranging in age from 17 to 93 years with a mean age of 37 years. Findings identified significant cardiovascular risk factors included cigarette smoking, obesity, hypertension, stress, and diabetes. Cigarette smoking was much more common in men than women. Implications for nurses are discussed with suggestions for future research.