Cardiovascular Disease In Adolescents Research Articles

Cardiovascular risk factor status of Greek adolescents in Athens

The presence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in adolescents aged 10–15 years was investigated in 15 countries participating in a research program coordinated by the American Health Foundation. The agency responsible for this program in Greece was the Institute of Child Health in Athens. A total of 1,113 Greek boys and girls aged 10–15 years who attended public schools in the area of Athens were examined. Schools were selected to represent all socioeconomic categories. Information about health knowledge and health habits was collected by a self-administered questionnaire and demographic data were recorded by an interviewer. For all children, blood pressure, pulse rate, postexercise pulse rate, and anthropometric measurements were taken, and plasma cholesterol was estimated. One or more risk factors [hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and obesity (weight above the 90th percentile)] were present in 34% of the Greek adolescents. Nine percent of the children admitted to occasional smoking and 1% to daily smoking; both percentages are considered to be underreported. The scores achieved by the Health Knowledge Questionnaire varied from 36% for the question on blood pressure to 60% in the area of general health knowledge. The high incidence of risk factors in the adolescents found in the present study may increase morbidity and mortality in future generations.