Ten-Year Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Employees Aged 40 Years and Older at the University of Sharjah: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVDs) are a leading cause of mortality globally and in the United Arab Emirates. Despite regional studies on the ASCVD risk, no prior study has assessed the ASCVD risk within the academic community of the University of Sharjah. This study aimed to estimate the 10-year predicted ASCVD risk among university employees aged ≥40 years and to identify associated lifestyle risk factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a stratified random sample of 124 employees aged 40 or older without a prior history of ASCVD was enrolled. The primary outcome was the 10-year ASCVD risk score calculated using the Mayo Clinic ASCVD risk calculator (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN). Data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Statistics version 22.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Associations between ASCVD risk scores and lifestyle factors were assessed using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Among the 124 participants included in the study (59.7% male and 40.3% female participants), the mean 10-year predicted ASCVD risk was classified as high at 37.16% (standard deviation ± 17.47). ASCVD risk scores were significantly higher among smokers compared with nonsmokers (48.6% vs. 32.7%, p < 0.001) and similarly elevated among participants with diabetes compared with nondiabetics (55.1% vs. 33.9%, p < 0.001). Physical activity level was also significantly associated with ASCVD risk (p = 0.009), while fruit and vegetable intake, saturated fat intake, daily sitting duration, and working hours showed no significant association (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Employees aged ≥40 years at the University of Sharjah demonstrate a markedly high predicted 10-year ASCVD risk. Smoking, diabetes, and physical inactivity were identified as key modifiable risk factors associated with higher predicted ASCVD risk. These findings underscore an urgent need for targeted workplace health promotion interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk in this population.