Abstract
Introduction Recently, the cases of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) have been increasing in the rural areas of southwest Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study sought to consider the relevant contributing factors, such as traditional dietary habits, few opportunities for disease screening, false beliefs about chronic disease management medications, delays in diagnosis, and the great distances required for travel to cardiac specialist centers.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at 12 primary health care (PHC) centers. The total required sample was determined to be 440 participants Systematic random sampling was performed using a list of PHC centers and fixed intervals. The study's outcome is ASCVD risk score divided into four categories: low risk < 5%, borderline risk 5%–7.5%, intermediate risk > 7.5%–20%, and high risk > 20%. Data were collected through interview questionnaires, measurements, and laboratory sample investigations.Result It was revealed that 16.59% of the participants were classified in the high-risk category for having ASCVD in the next ten years. There was a significant association between the ASCVD risk score and obesity (p = 0.03). Prior diagnoses for either hypertension and diabetes mellitus (p = 0.00) were significantly associated with an increased ASCVD risk score.Conclusion An alarmingly high prevalence of high-risk ASCVD scores was seen among males, with 54 male participants (22.78%) in the high-risk category, while 19 female participants (9.36%) were in the same category. Therefore, we can conclude that males are twice as likely to have a high ASCVD risk than females.