Abstract
The occurrence of chronic diseases in youth has become a serious global issue requiring early prevention. Due to the specific environment in large cities, urban youth are especially exposed to risky lifestyle patterns. Objective: This survey aimed to determine the prevalence of key modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in the adolescent population of the Croatian capital Zagreb. Methods: A clustered two-stage random sample design was employed to select a representative group of 903 adolescents (girls n = 444; boys n = 459; age 15.6 ± 0.4) starting their secondary education. Participants were invited to fulfil an electronic questionnaire meant to collect data on daily physical activity, screen time and tobacco use. In addition, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were taken by medically trained personnel. Data that were not originally categorical were dichotomized based on internationally accepted cut-off values for each risk factor, summarized for females and males, and presented as percentages and 95% confidence intervals. Results: The outcomes suggest that that more than one half did not meet the recommended daily physical activity (girls 59.4%; boys 45.5%), while about one quarter exceeded 2 h of screen time per day and had high blood pressure (girls 26.6% and 21.6%; boys 27.0% and 27.0%, respectively). Moreover, the results indicated nearly one fifth of adolescents had excess weight (girls 16.1%; boys 22.2%) and a similar proportion smoked tobacco (girls 20.8%; boys 17.0%). Conclusions: Local and regional health stakeholders should make additional efforts to promote healthy lifestyles in urban teenagers. Special emphasis should be placed on promoting physical activity.
Highlights
During the last decades, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have become the leading global source of mortality, estimated to cause 31.5% of all deaths and 45% of all non-communicable disease (NCD)deaths each year [1]
Modifiable behavioral patterns such as physical inactivity, sedentary time, and tobacco use are recognized among the small group of factors increasing the risk of developing physiologic conditions such as excess weight and high blood pressure, both known to underly most CVDs (WHO 2019)
The trend of the high occurrence of behavioral and physiological risk factors for CVD among adolescents is present in the area of the Croatian capital
Summary
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have become the leading global source of mortality, estimated to cause 31.5% of all deaths and 45% of all non-communicable disease (NCD)deaths each year [1]. Recent epidemiological updates and statistics suggest that CVD causes around 4 million deaths in Europe and more than 1.8 million deaths in the European Union on an annual basis [5,6], accounting for 45% and 37% of all deaths in Europe and the European Union, respectively. Modifiable behavioral patterns such as physical inactivity, sedentary time, and tobacco use are recognized among the small group of factors increasing the risk of developing physiologic conditions such as excess weight and high blood pressure, both known to underly most CVDs (WHO 2019). Public Health 2020, 17, 3162; doi:10.3390/ijerph17093162 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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