Cardiovascular health through a sex and gender lens in six South Asian countries: Findings from the WHO STEPS surveillance.

Background: Sex and gender-based differences in cardiovascular health (CVH) has been explored in the context of high-income countries. However, these relationships have not been examined in low- and middle-income countries. The main aim of this study was to examine how sex and gender-related factors are associated with cardiovascular risk factors of people in South Asian countries. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the World Health Organization's "STEPwise approach to surveillance of risk factors for non-communicable disease" or "STEPS" from six South Asian countries, surveys conducted between 2014-2019. The main outcomes were CVH as measured by a composite measure of STEPS-HEART health index (smoking, physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, overweight/obesity, diabetes and hypertension), values ranging from 0 (worst) to 6 (best or ideal) and self-reported occurrence of cardiovascular disease (ie, heart attack and stroke). Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were performed. Multiple imputation with chained equations was performed. Results: The final analytic sample consisted of 33 106 participants (57.5% females). The mean STEPS-HEART index score in the South Asian population was 3.43 [SD: 0.92]. Female sex (β: 0.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.01-0.08, Conclusions: Among the South Asian population, being female may be advantageous in having an ideal CVH. However, gender-related factors such as marital status and large household size were associated with poorer CVH and greater risk of CVD, regardless of sex.