An Evaluation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Military Personnel: A Study Conducted in Turkey

Background: Cardiovascular (CV) risk factors are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates; however, prevalence data for Turkish military members are unknown. Aim: This study determines how common cardiovascular risk factors are among military members in the Corps Command Military Unit and how they relate to socio-demographic parameters. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional research was conducted with 25222 active-duty individuals. A questionnaire was used to assess cardiovascular risk factors. This study included patients with more than two risk factors or current cardiac complaints. ECGs, echocardiograms, and biochemical testing were performed. Results: The study employed 835 individuals with an average age of 19.43±2.12 years. 19.6% of them had hypertension, 5.6% had dyslipidemia, 39.6% were smokers, 2.4% had diabetes mellitus, and 9.8% had a positive family history. Physical activity frequency was not observed in 54% of the patients before enlisting in the military. There was a significant positive correlation between smoking and mental stress (r=1.07, p