Abstract P097: The Missing Link In Current Prevention Strategies Focused On Reducing CVD Risk Among Youth: Youth's Mental Health

Abstract

Background: Physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior such as screen time (SB), and sleep are well-known health behaviors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (i.e., obesity) among youth. CVD risk factors are also prevalent among youth with a mental health diagnoses, in particular, depression. PA, SB, and sleep have also been independently associated with an increased risk of depression among youth. How these behaviors interact together and influence CVD risk among youth remains unclear. Such information is vital to the prevention of CVD among youth and further examination is urgently needed to guide the development of future intervention strategies. Objective: To examine the interplay of health behaviors, mental health indicators, and other sociodemographic predictors of obesity risk using a national representative sample of youth in the U.S. Methods: Adolescents (aged 13-18 years) from the 2018-2019 National Survey of Children’s Health data was utilized. Obesity risk was defined as a BMI% 85. Demographics (age, sex, race, ethnicity), PA, screen time, hours of sleep per night on weeknights, and diagnosis of depression and anxiety from a health care provider were extracted. Meeting Recommendations was defined as: PA (60 minutes/day, 4-7 days/week); screen time ( 2 hours/day); and sleep ( 8 hours/night). Multivariable logistic regression analyses examined the predictors of obesity risk. Results: The analytic cohort included 17,053 youth with a mean age of 15.59 1.11 years. Youth with obesity risk were more often (p<0.001) male (55% vs 51%), non-White (22% vs 19%), and Hispanic (13% vs 10%). In the multivariable model, the most significant predictors of obesity risk included not meeting physical activity recommendations (OR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.42, 1.64) and a diagnosis of depression (OR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.28, 1.64). Conclusions: Both physical activity and depression are independently contributing to obesity risk among youth in a large, national cohort. The interplay of health behaviors, mental health, and CVD risk factors among youth need to be examined further to elucidate possible mechanisms of causation.