Some biological cardiovascular risk factors and diet in samples of the male population of Tallinn, Estonia in 1984/1985 and 1992/1993.

Background: The role of diet in the development of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease is well known from animal, clinical and epidemiological studies; the influence of dietary factors is realized through their impact on body mass, lipids and blood pressure. The aim of this investigation was to study the levels of some biological risk factors: blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides and body mass, as well as nutrition, in the male population of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, in 1984/1985 and 1992/1993 (the transition period).

Methods: Two independent random samples of the male population of Tallinn, aged 30 to 54, were examined in 1984/1985 (1,890 men) and in 1992/1993 (752 men).

Assessment of the general health profile trends in the male population of Tallinn, Estonia.

Objective: To construct a complex indicator, the Health Index, for the determination of the general health profile of the population and to assess the time trends of the latter in the male population of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

Design: Three epidemiological studies of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk factor involving independent random samples of the male population of Tallinn aged 30-59 y were carried out in 1981/82 (survey I), in 1984/85 (survey II) and in 1992/94 (survey III), the total number of participants was 5019. The screening procedure included standard epidemiological methods.