Background: There is a strong association between the extent of atheroscler
otic lesions in aorta and coronary arteries and antemortem risk factors in
children and young adults. Cardiovascular diseases are the most common caus
e of death in adults in Turkey. However, the data about the extent of coron
ary risk factors in Turkish children is very limited. The aim of this cross
-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence of coronary risk factors
in Turkish schoolchildren living in Eskisehir, Turkey.
Methods: A randomly selected population of 4026 schoolchildren, aged betwee
n 7 and 18 years, residing in urban and rural parts of Eskisehir were evalu
ated for coronary risk factors, using previously predicted risk threshold v
alues.
Results: Hypertension was found in 4.8% of the girls and 3.8% of the boys,
14.9% of the girls and 10.8% of the boys had abnormal lipid values, 18.2% o
f the girls and 26.4% of the boys had elevated total body fat percentages,
20.7% of the girls and 14.5% of the boys had physical inactivity and 3.8% o
f the girls and 11.4% of the boys were regular smokers. Urban children had
higher rates of hypercholesterolemia; however, rural children had higher ra
tes of physical inactivity. When the modifiable risk factors were considere
d, excluding family history, 47.7% of the children had at least one risk fa
ctor and 11.7% of them exhibited two or more risk factors.
Conclusions: Turkish schoolchildren living in Eskisehir had considerably hi
gh levels of coronary risk factors. The interventional measures established
in childhood, during which the lifestyle and habits responsible for corona
ry heart diseases are acquired, will be very effective for preventing and m
odifying the risk factors predisposing children to coronary heart disease.