Lifestyles, Blood Pressure and Serum Lipid Profile among Medical Students in Japan

Lifestyles, blood pressure and serum concentrations of total cholesterol (TC) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) were surveyed on medical students aged 21-25 years (217 males and 72 females) of Fukuoka University between 1987 and 1989. Smoking and alcohol drinking were as prevalent among male students as among adult men in general population while smoking rate of female students was much lower than that of women in general population. In the analysis of 217 male students, obesity was most strongly related to raised blood pressure and atherogenic lipid profile. Sport activity was moderately associated with favorable cardiovascular risk profiles. There was a positive relation between smoking and TC/HDL ratio, but alcohol intake was not materially associated with this index of atherogenicity although it was significantly associated with elevated levels of HDL-C. Men reporting parental hypertension not only had higher systolic blood pressure but also showed lower levels of HDL-C. The present study indicates that lifestyles of young adults substantially influence blood pressure and serum lipids, and emphasizes the importance of health education in early life for the prevention of cardiovas-cular diseases.