Ideal Cardiovascular Health Behaviours in Nationally Representative School-Based Samples of Adolescents in the Caribbean.

BACKGROUND

Ideal cardiovascular health behaviour (CVHB) measures four ideal health behaviours (non-smoking, body mass index <85th Percentile, healthy diet, and physical activity). This study aimed to determine the prevalence, distribution, and correlates of ideal CVHB among adolescents in the Caribbean.

METHODS

Nationally representative cross-sectional data of 2016 or 2017 with complete CVHB measurements were analysed from 7556 school adolescents from four Caribbean countries.

RESULTS

The prevalence of 0-1 ideal metrics CVHB was 20.4%, 2 ideal metrics 48.7%, and 3-4 ideal metrics 30.8%. Only 5.0% had all 4 ideal CVHB metrics, 41.0% intermediate CVH (≥1 metric in the intermediate category and none in the poor category), and 54.0% had poor CVH (≥1 metric in poor category). In adjusted logistic regression analysis, compared to students from Dominican Republic, students from Jamaica (Adjusted Odds Ratio-AOR: 1.36, 95% confidence interval-CI: 1.01-1.85), students from Trinidad and Tobago (AOR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.17-1.82) and male sex (AOR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.11-1.64) were positively associated with meeting 3-4 ideal CVHB metrics. In addition, in unadjusted analysis, rarely or sometimes experiencing hunger was negatively and high peer and parent support were positively associated with meeting 3-4 ideal CVHB metrics.

CONCLUSION

The proportion of meeting 3-4 ideal CVHB metrics was low among adolescents in four Caribbean countries. Both high-risk and school-wide intervention programmes should be implemented in aiding to improve CVHB in Caribbean countries. Several factors associated with ideal CVHB were identified, which can be targeted in school health interventions.