Evaluation of dyslipidemia prevalence among undergraduate university students

Abstract

Dyslipidemia has grown to be a significant global public health issue particularly in developing nations like ours, as a result of rising trends in dietary habits, physical inactivity, and obesity, which each play essential roles in the development of cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia among undergraduate students at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Nnewi. Two hundred (200) students between the ages of 18 and 30 who appeared to be in good health were selected at random. After that, each participant provided a fasting blood sample of five milliliters (5ml) for the evaluation of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) using standard laboratory techniques. Additionally, the body mass index (BMI) and the systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings were calculated. 44 percent of participants were males and 56 percent were females, with an average age of 22.41 ±1.68 years. While 3% of the participants were underweight, 27% of them were overweight, and 6% were pre-obese, the majority of them (64%) had a normal BMI. Three percent (3%) of the participants had pre-hypertension, whereas 97% of the participants had normal blood pressure. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL-C, and high LDL-C among the participants, as defined by the World Health Organization, was 39.5%, 26.5%, 4%, 12.5%, and 16.5%, respectively. SBP Vs DBP, DBP Vs Weight, DBP Vs BMI, Weight Vs BMI, TC Vs TG, TC Vs HDL, and TC Vs LDL all had significant positive correlations (p<0.05) while SBP Vs TG, SBP Vs HDL, and TC Vs LDL all had significant negative correlations (r=-0.148, p=0.036, and r=-0.203, p=0.004). The female sex was strongly related with dyslipidemia (48.2%), whereas the male sex was not (28.4%). As a result, there is a pressing need to educate the public about the essential changes in food habits and overall lifestyle to maintain cardiovascular health.