Objective: To identify the prevalence of modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors related to cardiovascular diseases [CVDs] in the nursing team of a tertiary hospital in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo and suggest preventive practices. Methods: This is a prospective-analytical epidemiological study, of a quantitative nature, carried out on 226 employees, in two stages: collection of self-declared data and measurement of anthropometric data. Results: Risk factors such as family history of CVD (82.7%), alcoholism (57.1%), sedentary lifestyle (49.1%), insufficient sleep time (27.9%), high consumption of processed meals (98.2%) and sugary beverages (81.7%) were observed, among others. From anthropometric data, it was identified that 69.4% of participants are overweight (38.7%) or obese (30.6%) - evidenced by high waist circumference (48.6%) and a high waist-to-hip ratio (64.0%) - in addition to 17.1% who had blood pressure levels indicative of arterial hypertension. The majority reported not having a diagnosis of CVDs (76.1%), however, among those who do, more than half (53.7%) do not treat them properly. Conclusion: It is observed that the prevalence of CVDs is not irrelevant in the group evaluated and that there is the presence of risk factors indicating a tendency for participants to develop new CVDs or worsen existing ones, due to the presence of harmful habits associated with an unhealthy lifestyle and lack of adherence to treatments. This study suggests the implementation of multidisciplinary action programs with employees, so that the main areas identified as deficient are addressed.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study did not receive any funding.

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

Ethics committee/IRB of Faculdade de Medicina de Sao Jose do Rio Preto (FAMERP) gave ethical approval for this work - Report number: 5.671.736.

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

Yes

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

Yes

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

Yes

All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors.