In Slovenia, under the coordination of the National Institute of Public Health, the Integrated Prevention of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases Programme is being implemented in family medicine clinics with the aim of early detection of people with biological and behavioural risk factors for the development of chronic non-communicable diseases (and high-risk individuals), and to provide timely and professionally appropriate treatment. Cardiovascular diseases are among the most common chronic non-communicable diseases, which are also associated with an increased risk of depression. Using data from 33,457 individuals (15,262 men), with a mean age of 57 years (SD = 13.3), we investigated the impact of depression and five other risk factors (health concerns, risky drinking, physical activity, stress, social determinants) on the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The results of our study showed that individuals at higher risk of cardiovascular disease are more likely to have depressive symptoms, drink less, be more stressed, participate in prevention programmes, have a medium level of education, and have average employment status and finances. Physical activity had no predictive effect. The results are associated with the effectiveness of any counselling given at previous preventive check-ups. If the study were to be replicated, current standards of cardiovascular risk management should be taken into account and a more complete database should be obtained.
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