A Comparative Study of Cardiovascular Health in Urban and Rural Populations

Abstract

Cardiometabolic disorders are often more prominent in urban than in rural areas. There may be specific health benefits to living in rural environments. In rural and urban areas of Austria, equal access to medical care is present. The study aims to compare cardiovascular disease risk factors and lifestyle parameters in urban and rural populations. For a representative population-based cross-sectional study, participants were selected by sex, age, and hazard area matched random sampling. A total of 1,708 persons, 1,336 (78.2%) living in urban areas, and 372 (21.8%) living in rural areas, participated. Body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood glucose, and triglycerides were determined. (Scott et al.2020)

Body mass index and blood glucose levels were significantly higher in rural than in urban populations (27.2 ± 4.0 vs. 26.3 ± 4.4 kg/m² and 5.5 ± 5.3 vs. 5.1 ± 1.9 mmol/l). Serum cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were significantly lower in rural than in urban populations (6.1 ± 1.2 vs. 6.4 ± 1.4 mmol/l, 1.5 ± 4 vs. 1.6 ± 5 mmol/l, and 1.5 ± 1.8 vs. 1.6 ± 2.1 mmol/l). Subjects in rural areas were more often smokers, alcohol abstainers, and physically active. This study shows rural-urban differences with higher cholesterol and glucose levels in urban subjects. Alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and smoking were more frequent in the rural population. Data may serve as a basis for preventive and educational efforts in both urban and rural regions. The relationship of rural-urban lifestyle parameters to individual and rural health is a future challenge. (Teufel et al.2021)