Are teenagers at risk for developing cardiovascular disease in later life?

The aim of this study is to measure the occurrences of the following risk factors: tobacco use, levels of physical activity, levels of physical inactivity, and body mass index (BMI) among adolescents in Trinidad.

A two-stage random sampling process was used to select schools and students. Data were collected using a pretested self-administered questionnaire and included age, gender, ethnicity, tobacco use, levels of physical activity, levels of physical inactivity, BMI, and frequency of fast food consumption.

Overall, 44.6% of the 1896 adolescents already had more than two risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The most prevalent risk factor was the consumption of fast food (79.8%), while the least was smoking (12.0%). Out of the 75.4% physically active students, 47.6% spent more than 30 min in daily physical activity. In addition, 30.4% of the study population was overweight and obese, with the majority being 14 years of age (p=0.003). Overall, the overweight and obese students spent a significant amount of time watching television, playing video/computer games and talking on the phone, and frequently consumed fast food (p<0.001).

The study found a significant number of teenagers in Trinidad presenting with more than two risk factors that may lead to CVD. Based on previous research, these findings have undoubtedly placed the students well within the models used to predict heart disease later in life.