Obesity, Prehypertension and Distribution of Other Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Health Sciences University Students in Slovakia: Gender, Medical Studies and Academic Year Differences

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are known to have the highest proportion of mortality in Slovakia and
university students could be at a risk despite their level of education about health. The aim of the
study is to investigate the environmental risk predictors (sedentarism, cigarette smoking, stress, fast
food consumption) associated with parameters of overweight, obesity and prehypertension. The study
popoulation consisted of 33% of all university students (N=102), 23.5% males and 76.5% females
attending Faculty of Health Care at Slovak Medical University in all study programmes (nurses-34%,
paramedics-45%, laborants-11%, physiotherapists-12%) in the first (46%), the second (27.4%) and
the third (25.5%) year study. Subjects were measured for anthropometric parameters (weight, height,
body fat percentage for abdominal skinfold for body fat, waist and hip circumference, pulsation, blood
pressure). Total results indicate 16% of prehypertension, 20.6% of overvalues of BMI, 14.7% of
overweight and 4.9% of obesity and 17.6% of abdominal obesity by assessment of waist
circumference. 70.6% of CVD family history was recorded. The prevalence of cigarette smoking was
confirmed with 24.5% probands. University students showed a rather high prevalence of stress
(69.6%), fast food consumption (37.25%) and physical inactivity (37%). The highest overvalues of BMI
(26.5%) and 11.8% of obesity, overvalues of WHtR (17.6%), prevalence of sedentarism (60.6%) and
body fat composition (56%) was determined in females studying nursing. Males showed higher
prevalence of prehypertension and overvalues of BMI (33.3%), overweight (29.2%) and WHR (12.5%)
and waist circumference (13.6%), WHtR (12.5%) and higher prevalence of cigarette smoking (29.2%)
than females who confirmed higher prevalence of stress (74.4%), physical inactivity (39.71%) and fast
food consumption (41%) and cigarette smoking (23.2%), higher against the latter published data. The
first year students seemed to be at the highest risk CVD. They were the most hypertensive (21.7%)
and showed the highest prevalence of cigarette smoking (34%), stress (74.5%) and fast food
consumption (51%) of all. Sedentarism was detected among third year students (48.1%), who also
demonstrated the frequent overvalues of BMI (7.4%), high WHtR(18.5%) and family history of CVD
(88.9%). By gender, significant differences were examined in high blood pressure (p=0.002), weight,
height and waist (p<0.001). Significant relationship was proved between gender and prehypertension
(p=0.008) and obesity (p=0.043). A certain relationship was analyzed between academic year and
cigarette smoking (p=0.044), physical inactivity (p=0.001) and fastfood consumption (p=0.024).
Significant differences were shown for different study programm and pulse (p=0.008) and height
(p=0.023).We found significant differences beween all studied groups in stress (p=0.04), physical
inactivity (p=0.001), fastfood (p=0.024), respectively.
Further research is needed to examine lipid profiles and investigate other association with CVD risk
factors among other groups of university students in Slovakia, although they are well educated in
medical sciences but they need to apply the knowledge into their life style.