Why the study?
What is the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among urban schoolchildren in Sousse, Tunisia?
What is the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among urban schoolchildren in Sousse, Tunisia?
Tunisian urban schoolchildren exhibit a relatively low cardiovascular disease risk factor profile, though specific risk factors like lipid disorders, obesity, and smoking show significant sex differences.
Sex differences in lipid disorders, obesity, and smoking among Tunisian schoolchildren may guide targeted screening; leaves open longitudinal assessment of progression.
To assess the risk to Tunisian children of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), we undertook an epidemiological survey of 1569 urban schoolchildren from Sousse. Prevalence rates for the following CVD risk factors were determined: hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and other lipid disorders, obesity and tobacco consumption. Hypertension and hypertriglyceridaemia showed no statistically significant difference by sex. Hypercholesterolaemia, high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and obesity were all significantly higher for girls than boys. Smoking was significantly higher among boys. The relatively low CVD risk factor profile of Tunisian schoolchildren should be encouraged in adulthood and a school heart health programme should be established.
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Ghannem et al. (2000) studied this question.
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