Ethnic and gender differences in lifestyle risk factors in a bi-ethnic primary care sample: prevalence and clinical implications

Abstract

Objective: To demonstrate how simple screening methods can be used to define modifiable lifestyle risk factors in primary care settings and educate clinicians regarding ethnic and gender differences in risk factor profiles.

Design: Observational study

Participants: 3286 patients (1613 African Americans, 1673 non-Hispanic Whites)

Intervention: Lifestyle risk factor assessment using nine-question health habits questionnaire and vital signs measurement.

Main outcome measures: Rates of tobacco use, risky drinking, obesity, and inactivity

Results: 29.8% of patients reported tobacco use, 68.9% exercised less than three times per week, 41.1% were obese, and 9.5% screened positive for risky drinking. Whites reported more tobacco use (34.5% vs 24.9%) and risky drinking (10.3% vs 8.8%), while African Americans were more likely to be obese (46.1% vs 36.3%) and inactive (73.2% vs 64.7%). Risky drinking declined in all groups except African American males after age 65.

Conclusions: Simple questionnaires and vital signs measurements are useful in screening for modifiable lifestyle risk factors in primary care clinics. Results can be used to identify risk factor patterns in different ethnic, age, and gender groups and to prioritize prevention interventions for individual patients. Simplified methods of assessing overweight and obesity are needed.