Knowledge and health behavior of high school seniors with respect to cardiovascular disease risk factors

Includes bibliographical references (pages 87-95)Data on health knowledge and behavior were obtained\ud for 167 subjects aged 16-18 attending a high school in\ud Southern California. For all subjects, behavioral risk\ud indices including weight and smoking status and activity\ud level were gathered. Additionally, a 24-hour dietary\ud recall and a detailed health knowledge test eliciting\ud information on cardiovascular disease risk factors were\ud administered. Ethnic composition of the total sample was\ud 80% white, 7% black, 6% Hispanic, 5% Asian, and 2% other.\ud Mean scores on the health knowledge test were 74.8%, with\ud half of the sample population scoring 80% or better and \ud only 12.8% scoring less than 60%. Neither sex of the\ud student, weight, smoking status, activity level, or\ud dietary intake (as assessed by a FRR score) were\ud significantly related to the level of knowledge of\ud cardiovascular disease risk factors exhibited by the\ud students. A significant relationship was found with those\ud with a family risk history scoring significantly higher on\ud the health knowledge test than those who did not. The\ud population was characterized by 3.6% very overweight or\ud obese, 7.2% daily smokers, 54% sedentary, 91.1% far\ud exceeding the American Heart Association (AHA) goals of a\ud fat-modified diet (30% or less calories as fat) with a\ud mean overall FRR score of 25.4 points compared to 9 or\ud less points from AHA goals. Of the total sample, 76% had\ud a family risk history of premature atherosclerotic\ud disease. Research supports the hypothesis that preventive\ud measures of cardiovascular disease should begin in\ud childhood and adolescence. A reevaluation of the teaching\ud format of high school health education with emphasis on\ud cardiovascular risk reduction is indicated. Nutrition\ud education for teenagers is thus of great importance