Methods: A convenience, descriptive research was conducted in 306 college students at a Midwestern (n=158) and Western University (n=148). Participants’ socio-demographics, knowledge and perception of cardiovascular risk factors, cardiovascular biomarkers, and 30-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk were compared for differences. Mann-Whitney U test was performed to determine the differences between the Midwest and West Coast college students on these variables.
Results: The college students’ average age was 24.36 (SD 4.59) years old and there were no differences found in age between the two regions; however, there was a difference between their gender (z=-2.36, p=0.018). Among the two regions, their knowledge and perception of cardiovascular risk factors were similar; however, the 30-year CVD risk was different between the two regions (z=-2.15, p=0.032). The West coast has a higher mean rank of the 30-year CVD risk compared to the Midwest, 157.43 vs. 136.38, respectively. The following cardiovascular risk factors were also found to be different between the two regions: systolic blood pressure(BP), diastolic BP, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides, and family history of heart disease. The Midwest has a higher mean rank of systolic BP (172.05 vs 133.69), triglycerides (164.03 vs. 142.26), and family history of heart disease (162.61 vs 143.77) compared to the West Coast. Whereas, the West Coast has a higher mean rank of diastolic BP (134.03 vs 174.29) and LDL-C (137.96 vs. 168.02) compared to the Midwest.
Conclusions: This study found that college students are at risk for CVD in addition to the differences between regions in regards to cardiovascular risk factors. This implication put forth the initiative for health care providers especially nurses to intervene early in this population as well as being aware of the specific needs of certain regions.