CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN STUDENTS FROM A MULTIPROFESIONAL HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAM

Abstract

Objective: To describe the frequency of cardiovascular risk factors in schoolchildren from a multiprofesional health education program intended for the adoption of healthy lifestyles. Methods: An investigation was performed with students from the project: “Young Doctors – Multipliers of knowledge”.  Schoolchildren of ages from 10 to 14, who had obtained a 75% frequency in the program, were invited. The data was analyzed descriptively. The project was approved by the Ethics Committee in Research of Universidade do Estado da Bahia (Report 241.434/2013) and financed by PRO-Saúde/PET-Saúde 2012. Results: It was observed that 65.8% of the schoolchildren were of the female gender and 62.2% of ages varying between 12 and 13 years. Among the cardiovascular risk factors observed were systemic arterial hypertension (18.9%), overweight (32.4%), and sedentary lifestyles (24.3%). Screen time greater than two hours was reported by 75.7% of the interviewed parties. The dietary pattern described was, predominantly, inadequate for 78.0% of the students, with low consumption of salad, fruit and vegetables and a high intake of food rich in sugar, sodium and lipids. In relation to the parents, it was observed that their schooling level was low, as well as their family income.  It was also noted that a large share of the parents had Systemic Arterial Hypertension (64.9%). Conclusions: The results permit us to conclude that environmental and genetic factors constitute a cardiovascular risk factor for the schoolchildren, justifying the necessity of longer-lasting interventions in health education and involving the families, the school and primary healthcare units.