Risk factors for coronary artery disease in nursing students.

OBJECTIVES

to identify and discuss the main risk factors for coronary artery disease, observed in nursing students.

METHODS

an observational and cross-sectional study conducted with nursing students at a public college in Niterói, RJ. Data collection involved instruments validated for use in Brazil. PROCAM Quick Check score was used to estimate cardiovascular risk.

RESULTS

of the 110 students, 88 (80%) were female, with a mean age of 22.03±3.63 years. The most relevant cardiovascular risk factors were alcohol consumption 62 (56.4%), family history of coronary artery disease 35 (31.8%), poor eating habits (49.5%) and stress, whose domain "Professional training" received the highest mean, with 11.62 ± 3.42 points.

CONCLUSIONS

the most frequent risk factors in nursing students are stress, inadequate nutrition and risky consumption of alcoholic beverages. These present a low risk for coronary artery disease through PROCAM Quick Check score.