Cardiovascular disease risk factors and obesity of rural and urban elementary school children

Previous studies on the influence of a rural/urban setting on the prevalenc e of cardiovascular disease risk factors in children have nor sufficiently controlled for socioeconomic status, race, gender, and perhaps, may not hav e included a representative sample of rural and urban children. This study compared the cardiovascular disease risk factors and rate of obesity of chi ldren living in rural and urban settings. If also determined the magnitude of the effect of the rural/urban setting on cardiovascular disease risk fac tors and obesity when controlling for race, socioeconomic status, and gende r The subjects were 2,113 third- and fourth-grade children; 962 from an urb an setting and 1,151 from a rural setting. Height, weight, skinfolds, resti ng blood pressure, and total cholesterol levels were measured. Aerobic powe r ((p)VO(2)max) was estimated from cycle ergometry. Physical activity and s moking history were obtained from a questionnaire. Clustering analyses usin g adjustment for sample error indicated that total cholesterol, blood press ure, smoking, and physical activity levels of rural and urban children were not different (P>0.10); however, body mass index and sum of skinfolds was greater for rural youth (P<0.004). Logistic regression indicated that rural children had a 54.7 percent increased risk of obesity (P=0.0001). This stu dy's results indicate that, in children, a rural setting is associated with obesity, but not with the major risk factors associated with cardiovascula r disease.