A cross-sectional study of gender differences in lifestyle behavior and usage of medications among community-dwelling Asians towards achieving their LDL-Cholesterol treatment goals

Abstract

Background: Men differ from women in their cardiovascular mortality and morbidity globally, possibly due to their varying dietary and lifestyle behavior and usage of medications in dyslipidemia control. Objectives: The study aimed to compare the gender differences among community-dwelling Asians in their dietary habits, physical activity, their perception and use of lipid-lowering medications towards achieving their LDL-Cholesterol goals. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, which included patients with physician-diagnosed dyslipidemia, aged 31–80 years in two public primary care clinics in Singapore. They were administered a questionnaire survey on their diet, exercise and lipid-lowering medication. Their latest laboratory fasting lipid tests, retrieved from their electronic health records, defined their treatment goals based on adapted Framingham risk scores. Results: Amongst 1093 patients, 61.9% were female. Fewer men (65.9%) achieved LDL-C treatment goals compared with women (75.2%). Comparing with their counterpart, more women were willing to change their diet (75.8% vs. 46.2%) and exercise (78.4% vs. 70.9%) to achieve their LDL treatment goals. However, men who were treated with lipid medication were more likely to reach LDL-C treatment goals. Conclusion: Fewer Asian men in Singapore attained their LDL-C treatment goals than women, which appeared to be associated with greater reluctance to embark on dietary and lifestyle changes. Gender-specific interventions should be considered to address these differences.