Analysis of cardiovascular risk, weight status, and quality of life on participants of the 1999 Rush Employee Wellness Fair (Illinois)

The objectives of this research were describe (1) cardiovascular disease risk factor profiles including Framingham scores (FHS); (2) body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC); (3) physical and mental component scores (PCS, MCS) adapted from the SF-121 of over 4,000 RUSH participants of the 1999 Employee Wellness Fair. Hispanics, Blacks and males had the highest FHS scores or coronary heart disease risk and risk equivalents. Blacks and Hispanics had the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity. More females than males were obese. In terms of WC risk, White males and Black females had the highest prevalence. Female employees and Whites had the lowest MCS scores (indicating higher level of mental ability), while male employees and Whites had the highest PCS scores (higher level of physical ability). As BMI and WC increased, FHS increased (r ≤ 0.26) and PCS scores decreased (r ≤ 0.26); as FHS increased, PCS scores decreased (r ≤ 0.26).; 1Short Form-12 Health Survey adapted from Short Form-36 Health Survey.