The epidemiology of peripheral arterial disease in Western Australia : prevalence, risk factors and early intervention

[Truncated] Background. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has received less research attention than other vascular conditions in terms of both epidemiological studies and trials of intervention. This research aimed to establish the prevalence and risk factors for early PAD and determine the effectiveness of a combined intervention to promote increased physical activity and cessation of smoking. Methods. Cross-sectional. In the Perth cross-sectional survey, from a random sample of 7,987 community-living men aged from 65-83 years, from the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia, 928 were identified as having PAD using either the Edinburgh Claudication Questionnaire (ECQ) or the ankle: brachial index (ABI). Each man was asked to undergo clinical tests and complete a questionnaire concerning demographic, lifestyle and clinical factors. The second cross-sectional survey included 1,116 men and women aged over 65 years from Busselton, a rural coastal town in the south of Western Australia. Of these 78 were identified with early PAD using the World Health Organisation/Rose (WHO/Rose Q) intermittent claudication (IC) questionnaire. Associations between risk factors and PAD were examined using odds ratios (ORs) and reverse stepwise logistic regression.