Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International

Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a condition in which plaque builds up on the inner walls of coronary arteries and can lead to blood clot formation. It is the leading cause of death worldwide. Developing coronary heart disease takes long period and its risk factors can be found in young people.

Objectives: Study of risk factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was done at King Saud bin Abdul-Aziz University in Riyadh. Non-probability convenience sampling was used to select 151 health care students. The data was collected through questionnaire and physical measurements. The data was entered and analyzed by SPSS.

Results: More than half of the students eat fruits one or less time per week which accounts for 53.6%. Moreover, 28.5% of them eat vegetables one time or less per week. Regarding healthy food containing healthy fat such as fish, 76.2% of the students include healthy fat food in their diet more than two times per week. The percentage of those who eat fast food and consume soft drinks is 80.8% and 70.2% more than two times per week respectively. Furthermore, the percentage of the students who are smokers, either currently or occasionally is 49%. Concerning physical activity, 31.3% of the students exercise more than two times weekly, and only 7.3% of the students watch TV more than four hours per day. On the other hand, the majority which accounts for 54.3% of the students use computer, laptop, or tablet more than four hours per day. Regarding premature CAD, 3.3% of the students reported positive and 16.2% of them reported positive for CHD family history. Finally, 1.3% of the found to have DM.