Prevalence of coronary arl'ery disease risk factors in saudi children

Two hundred and twenty boy*, 7 to 12 years oT j ^ t , were subjected ro a comprehensive medical, anthropometric, and physiological evaluation to assess tin: prevalence of coronary artery disease risk factors. These risk factors include obesity, blood lipids and lipoproteins, blood glucose, blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness, and physical activity level. The results of :his Study indicate that there are no significant age-related differences in total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholcstcrol, HDL-G'cholesterol ratio, or blood glucose. No significant hypertension was detested among the subjects, Using relative body fat, 15.6% of the boys were considered obese. body fat percent showed significant inverse relationships with cardiorespiratory fitness, HOL-ehok-slerol, HDL-Ccholestcrol ratio, and was related positively to systolic tind diastolic blood pressures bur not to total cholesterol. Blood pressure was not related to cholesterol or triglyceride levels. The findings of this study also showed that 223% of the boys exceeded cholesterol level of 5.2 mmal/L.26,4% had triglyceride tev*j above 1.4 mmol/L., 15.4% had a LDL-cholestcrol level above 3.4 mmol/L, and 4.0% had HDL-cholestcrol below .96 mmol/L. Wc conclude that a considerable percentage of the tested schoolchildren between the ages of 7 and 12 years have one or more coronary artery disease risk factors