<![CDATA[Additional cardiovascular risk factors associated with excess weigth in children and adolescents: the Belo Horizonte heart study]]>

Abstract

OBJECTIVETo examine the association of overweight and obesity with physical activity, blood pressure (BP) and serum lipid profi les. METHODSEpidemiologic investigation of 1,450 students, between the ages of 6 and 18, in the city of Belo Horizonte, MG. Data: weight, height, BP, skinfold thickness, waist circumference, physical activity, total cholesterol (TC), LDL-c, HDL-c, and dietary habits. RESULTSThe prevalence rates for overweight and obesity were 8.4% and 3.1%, respectively. In relation to the students in the lower quartile (Q1) of the distribution of subscapular skinfold, the students in the upper quartile (Q4) presented a 3.7 times higher risk (odds ratio) of having elevated TC levels. Overweight and obese students had a 3.6 times higher risk of having elevated systolic blood pressure, and a 2.7 times higher risk of elevated diastolic blood pressure when compared to normal weight students. The less active students in the Q1 of distribution of MET presented a 3.8 times higher risk of having elevated TC levels compared to those who were more active (Q4). CONCLUSIONStudents who were overweight, obese or in the upper quartiles for other adiposity variables, as well as students with low levels of physical activity or a sedentary lifestyle presented higher blood pressure levels and a lipid profi le indicative of an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis.

Índice de massa corporal apresenta boa correlação com o perfil pró-aterosclerótico em crianças e adolescentes

“…One limitation pointed out by Luukkaa et al 14 is that BMI does not discriminate lean mass from fat mass, and does not permit the separation of subjects with increased muscle mass from those with increased fat mass. However, even the low quartile (Q1) of the distribution of subscapular skinfold, when compared to upper quartile (Q4) is related to increased risk of elevated total cholesterol (TC) levels in children and adolescents 15 . Currently, it is important to know not just the fat mass, but also the fat distribution.…”

Comparison of two school-based programmes for health behaviour change: the Belo Horizonte Heart Study randomized trial

“…To avoid intra-class correlation (24) , a design effect was calculated to be 2?069 for the sedentary lifestyle variable in a previous study (23) . Therefore, each sample group needed to have 403 3 2?069 5 834 children.…”

Factors associated with serum lipids of adolescents from the Brazilian South

“…High-Density Lipoprotein-cholesterol was not inversely associated with BMI adjusted for gender, indicating that adolescents with high BMI have low levels of HDL-c. Other studies done in Brazil 8,15 and elsewhere 13,26 also found an inverse association between HDL-c and overweight or obesity. Since HDL-c is antiatherogenic, low levels predispose to cardiovascular diseases.…”

“…Similar results were reported elsewhere 9,14 suggesting that excess weight during adolescence may be associated with undesirable total cholesterol levels. On the other hand, other studies have not found an association between BMI and cholesterol in adolescents 15,25 .…”

“…Similar variations have been found in other countries 10,11 . Many factors have been associated with dyslipidemia in adolescents, such as socio-environmental conditions, behavior patterns, genes, low birth weight, and excess weight 8,[12][13][14][15][16] . Nevertheless, only a few studies explore the relationship between serum lipids and anthropometric and lifestyle variables, considered important confounding factors.…”