Coronary heart disease risk factors in children ages 9 to 11 years

Abstract

A total of 115 third through fifth grade students, ages 9-11 years, volunteered to participate in the coronary heart disease risk factor survey at Hintgen Elementary School in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The subjects were tested for the presence of the following: hypertension, obesity, physical inactivity, and family history of heart disease. Descriptive statistics and percentages were calculated to summarize the data. The results revealed that 13.9% of the subjects were hypertensive, 47.0% have body fat percentages which would be considered above the optimal range, 68.7% were less than physically active, 75.5% of tho subjects have 2 or more risk factors, and 52.2% have a positive history of heart disease/attack.