Abstract 144B: Racial Differences in Physiological and Behavioral Response to School Based Wellness Program

Abstract

Background: Racial differences in cardiovascular (CV) risk factors have been shown to exist in children. However, much of this data was obtained decades ago in a rural cohort of children in Bogalusa, LA. Given the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, we sought to examine CV risk factors in black and non-black 6 th grade students prior to and seven months after implementation of a school-based wellness program targeting both inner city and suburban children in Southeast Michigan. Methods: Data from 1,979 middle-school students enrolled in Project Healthy Schools (PHS) were used to compare health behaviors and physiologic markers including lipids, blood pressure (BP), and BMI. PHS is designed to promote physical activity, consumption of fruits and vegetables, decrease consumption of fast/fatty foods and leisure screen time and encourage healthier beverage choices. Pre/post assessments included surveys of diet and physical activity. A Mann-Whitney, non-parametric test was used to compare the differences. Results: Among the 1,979, 504 (25.5%) were black. At baseline, % overweight/obese was significantly different between blacks and non-blacks (39.9% vs. 33.0%, p=0.003. Blacks had poorer diets and were less active than non-blacks (p< 0.001). BP and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were similar, while high-density lipoprotein (HDL) was higher in blacks (55 mg/dL vs. 52 in non-blacks) (p=0.004), and triglycerides were higher in non-blacks (92 vs.122 mg/dL) (p<0.001). Seven months after PHS was initiated, blacks improved their diets and physical activity more (p< 0.02). Blacks had a significant decrease in LDL cholesterol (10 mg/dL vs. 1) (p<0.001) whereas non-blacks had significant reduction in triglycerides (3 vs. 16 mg/dL) (p=0.041). Conclusion: Black 6 th grade students show higher rates of obesity, poor dietary habits, and less physical activity at baseline. This data suggests that school-based wellness programs such as PHS can improve dietary, physical behavior and cholesterol profile. Early intervention for risk factor modification is not only possible but may be of great importance to the prevention of CV disease in adults, particularly in high risk groups like blacks.