Aim: To describe recent trends in cardiovascular risk factors between 1982 and 2002-2003 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Methods: Data on non-Maori and non-Pacific adults aged 35-74 years were derived from four population-based surveys carried out in 1982, 1986-88, 1993-94, and 2002-3 using similar protocols.
Results: Systolic blood pressure levels continue to decline since the 1982 survey, together with a reduction in the proportion of people with raised blood pressure who were untreated. The downwards trend in cigarette smoking observed between 1982 and 1993-94 appears to have halted. Serum total cholesterol declined from 6.18 mmol/L in 1982 to 5.62 mmol/L in 2002-3 in men; and from 6.26 mmol/L in 1982 to 5.37 mmol/L in 2002-3 in women. HDL-cholesterol levels continued to rise over this time period. Use of lipid lowering medications increased from 0% in the 1982 and 1986-88 studies to 1.3% in men and 2.6% in women in the 1993-4 survey, and to 6.3% in men and 2.7% in women in the 2002-3 survey. The age-standardised mean body mass index increased from 25.6 (25.4-25.8) kg/m2 in 1982 to 27.2 (26.9-27.6) kg/m2 in 2002-3 in men; and from 24.5 (24.2-24.9) kg/m2 in 1982 to 26.6 (26.2-27.0) kg/m2 in women in 2002-3. The prevalence of overweight and obese people increased from 52.8% (49.7-55.9) to 70.9% (67.7-74.1) in men and from 36.5% (32.5-40.5) to 57.0% (53.4-60.6) in women.
Conclusions: Trends in systolic blood pressure, raised blood pressure, serum cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol levels, and use of antihypertensive and cholesterol-lowering drug use in non-Maori and non-Pacific adult Aucklanders between 1982 to 2002-04 have been favourable. However, these favourable trends were, in part, counterbalanced by less favourable trends in body mass index, obesity, and cigarette-smoking. These findings suggest that the decline in cardiovascular mortality rates in New Zealand over the past 35 years may not be sustained.