Lipid profile of schoolchildren from Recife, PE.

BACKGROUND

The occurrence of dyslipidemia is increasing in pediatric populations. Altered lipid profiles are related to a higher incidence of hypertension and atherosclerotic disease.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the extent of dyslipidemia and investigate its association with overweight and abdominal obesity in adolescent students from Recife, Brazil.

METHODS

Personal data, socioeconomic level, anthropometric measurements and lipid profile of 470 adolescents, aged 10 to 14 years, of both sexes, students at the Public School system in the city of Recife, state of Pernambuco, Brazil, were obtained. The statistical analysis was carried out using the Epi-info 6.04 and SPSS 13.0 software. The level of significance was set at 5%.

RESULTS

The majority of the population was dyslipidemic (63.8%; 95%CI: 59.3 - 68.2), with hypoalphalipoproteinemia being the most prevalent dyslipidemia (56%; 95%CI: 51.3 - 60.5). Adolescents who were overweight or who had abdominal obesity presented higher levels of triglycerides and lower levels of HDL-cholesterol (p < 0.05). Levels of total cholesterol and fractions were not different between sexes.

CONCLUSION

A high incidence of unfavorable lipid profile was shown in this series, demonstrating the necessity to measure the lipid profile as early as this age range. Healthy lifestyle measures should be encouraged in this population.