Lifestyle and cardiovascular health in school adolescents from São Paulo

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. There is evidence demonstrating the association of this disease with cardiovascular risk factors related to lifestyle, incorporated in adolescence. To identify, in adolescents, the prevalence of overweight and lifestyle factors asso...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia 2010-07, Vol.95 (1), p.61-69
Main Authors: Lancarotte, Inês, Nobre, Moacyr Roberto, Zanetta, Rachel, Polydoro, Marcio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Body Mass Index
Brazil
Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Feeding Behavior
Female
Humans
Life Style
Male
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Socioeconomic Factors
Surveys and Questionnaires
Urban Population
Young Adult
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Summary:Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. There is evidence demonstrating the association of this disease with cardiovascular risk factors related to lifestyle, incorporated in adolescence. To identify, in adolescents, the prevalence of overweight and lifestyle factors associated with risk for developing cardiovascular diseases, and the factors that influence them. It was conducted an observational study of individual cross-sectional data with adolescents enrolled in public and private schools in São Paulo, covering grades 5 to 8 of elementary school. The information was obtained through the application of an anonymous questionnaire and weight and height measurements. 2,125 adolescents with mean age of 12.9 years were studied. From the total sample: 14.4% to 32.1% did not practice sports or competitions; 56.0% to 73.6% remained more than two hours watching TV, playing video game or working on the computer; approximately 80% consumed fruits and vegetables improperly; 34.9% to 45.3% reported high salt consumption; and 60.9% to 74.4% reported consumption of soft drinks. Prevalence of overweight ranged from 18.7% to 41.6%. In school adolescents, this study found high prevalence of risk factors associated with the development of cardiovascular disease in adults. Further studies are required to better understand how these risk factors are related and thus enable the implementation of preventive measures in adolescence in order to prevent cardiovascular disease in adults.
ISSN:1678-4170
DOI:10.1590/S0066-782X2010005000077