Rural-urban differences in college students' cardiovascular risk perceptions.

Objective

To examine rural-urban differences in college students' cardiovascular risk perceptions.

Participants

College students in rural (n = 61) and urban (n = 57) Kentucky counties were recruited from November 2012 to May 2014.

Methods

This was a secondary data analysis of a cross-sectional study examining rural-urban differences in cardiovascular risk factors. Students rated their risk for developing high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, having a stroke, and gaining excess weight. Chi-square and logistic regression were used for data analysis.

Results

Rural students had lower odds of perceived high risk for developing high blood pressure compared to urban students (odds ratio (OR): 0.32, 95% CI: 0.11-0.96) after adjusting for race, sex, and body mass index. This association was not observed after adjusting for healthcare access variables. No other significant differences were observed.

Conclusions

Efforts to raise perceived risk for developing hypertension among rural college students may be warranted.