The name is absent

Nutrition and Coronary Heart Disease

The SWSAHS

The SWSAHS comprises six local government areas (LGA) and the shire of
Wingecarribee. The six LGAs are Bankstown, Camden, Campbelltown, Liverpool,
Fairfield and Wollondilly. The table in Appendix A provides a brief overview of the
characteristics of SWSAHS residents.

Unemployment rates in the SWSAHS have generally been higher than the average
NSW rate. The SWSAHS also has a lower proportion of tertiary qualified people and a
higher proportion of people employed in clerical, sales or trades as compared to the rest
ofNSW (ABS census, 1991).

In the SWSAHS the mortality rate from CHD is higher than the NSW average (Page et
al, 1990). In terms of risk factors, residents of the SWSAHS reported higher cholesterol
levels, compared to the rest ofNSW. There was no significant difference between
SWSAHS and NSW in terms of reported high blood pressure amongst residents (Boyle
& Dobson, 1992).

A greater proportion of men and women were either overweight or obese in SWSAHS
than in the rest of the state (Boyle & Dobson, 1992). Compared to the national average,
a higher proportion of people from a Southern European or Middle Eastern background
and a lower proportion of people from an Asian background are either overweight or
obese (ABS 4380.1 1989-90). Overall, mortality from circulatory system disease was
lower in most migrant groups than their Australian bom counterparts (Young 1992).

Compared to other NSW areas, residents of the SWSAHS were less inclined to partake
in physical activity. Forty-six per cent of men and forty-nine percent of women
reported that they did not partake in any exercise for recreation, sport or fitness in the
two weeks prior to the survey (Boyle & Dobson, 1992).

Risk Factors

The SWSAHS Health Improvement Plan for CHD lists a set of modifiable determinants
(risks) for CHD; smoking, elevated blood cholesterol and triglycerides, hypertension
and a sedentary lifestyle. They also note that research has indicated that diabetes,

CHERE Project Report 11 - November 1999

<<   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   >>

More intriguing information