ASSOCIATION AMONG CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AND NUTRITIONAL STATE IN SCHOOL-AGED INDIVIDUALS OF SANTA CRUZ DO SUL, RS, BRAZIL

Abstract

Nutritional transition has increased the prevalence of overweight worldwide. Overweight in children and adolescent increase the risk of chronic non-transmissible diseases (CNTD), including cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Risk factors such as high level of arterial pressure (AP), triglycerides (Tg) and total cholesterol (TC) can be influenced by the nutritional state. This paper aims: 1) to characterize the population of school-aged individuals of the municipality of Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil as evaluated by body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BFP); 2) to evaluate the levels of AP, Tg and TC in the same population; and 3) to search association among the evaluated variables in order to relate the cardiovascular risk factors and the nutritional state according to genders. A sample of 578 school-aged individuals (42.2% males and 57.8% females) aging 8-18 years was used in the research. Results indicated high incidence of overweight (including obesity) by BFP (21.3% for males and 24.9%, for females) and BMI (25.4 for males and 27% for females); moderate incidence of hypertension (2.5% for males and 3.3% for females); high incidence of hypertriglyceridaemia (20.5% for males and 33.8% for females); and moderate incidence of hypercholesterolemia (10.7% for males 11.4% for females). There was significant association between HA, Tg and BMI and BFP for both males and females as well as an association between TC and BFP only for male. The high incidence of overweight and hypertirglyceridaemia are comparable with the levels of urban areas of Brazil and USA in spite of the fact that Santa Cruz do Sul is a countryside city with availability of healthy foods and recreation sites. Indeed, these individuals must be closely monitored in order to reduce the risk of CVD and other CNTD.