Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 29, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
[Cardiovascular risk in children from 6 to 15 years with exogenous obesity]
Gabriela Virginia Escudero-Lourdes1, Luz Viridiana Morales-Romero, Concepción Valverde-Ocaña
1Coordinación Clínica de Educación e Investigación en Salud, Hospital General de Zona 1, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México. gabriela.escudero@imss.gob.mx.
Insights
Cardiovascular risk is high in 60% of obese children, linked to lifestyle and diet. Early assessment using validated scales can prevent adult cardiovascular disease persistence.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Public Health
- Preventive Medicine
Context:
- Rising cardiovascular risk (CVR) is linked to lifestyle and diet.
- Obese children represent a vulnerable population for developing cardiovascular disease.
- This study was conducted in a secondary care unit of the Mexican Social Security Institute in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
Purpose:
- To assess the cardiovascular risk (CVR) in an obese pediatric population.
- To identify key risk factors contributing to CVR in children.
- To evaluate the utility of validated scales in pediatric CVR assessment.
Summary:
- A cross-sectional study analyzed 100 obese children (ages 6-15) using Alústiza's scale.
- 60% of children exhibited high CVR, with significant correlations found between CVR, HDL, and glucose levels.
- Prevalence of hypercholesterolemia (46%) and hyperglycemia (34%) was noted, alongside family history of obesity and diabetes.
Impact:
- Validated scales are effective tools for timely CVR assessment in children.
- Early identification and intervention can mitigate the persistence of cardiovascular risk into adulthood.
- Findings highlight the need for lifestyle interventions in pediatric obesity to reduce long-term cardiovascular burden.
Background:
The cardiovascular risk (CVR) is increasing and it is related to life style and dietary habits; one of the age groups at risk of developing this disease are the obese children. The objective of this study was to assess the CVR in the obese pediatric population in a secondary care unit of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social in San Luis Potosí, México.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study, in which we used Alústiza's scale to measure CVR. We included the total of cases of pediatric obese population in a year. We performed the analysis by each of the variables included in the scale (age, sex, body mass index, family history of diabetes and obesity, alcohol, blood pressure, cholesterol). High CVR was correlated to HDL and glucose, through a statistical analysis with chi-squared.
Results:
We reviewed a total of 100 medical records of children from 6 to 15 years (52 girls, 48 boys). CVR was low in 26 %, moderate in 14 % and higher in 60 %. A positive history of obesity was found in 26 %; obesity plus diabetes, 16 %; obesity and dyslipidemia, 13 %; hypertension, 11 %. None of the children practiced excercise. We found hypercholesterolemia in 46 %, and hyperglycemia in 34 %. By using chi-squared we found that all variables were statistically significant (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
Validated scales are useful to measure CVR in children, in order to take action in a timely fashion and avoid the persistence of risk in adulthood.
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