Risk factors for cardiovascular disease in 16-19-year-old teenagers

In a representative sample of Danish school children (124 boys and 169 girls), 16-19 years of age, blood pressure, blood lipids, body fat content, maximal aerobic power, alcohol consumption and smoking habits were studied. No systematic variation was noticed within this age in the risk factor profile. The mean values for blood pressure (BP) (systolic/diastolic) were 125/73 mmHg for the boys and 117/71 mmHg for the girls. As much as 14% of the boys and 5% of the girls had either a systolic BP above 140 mmHg or a diastolic BP above 90 mmHg. Total serum cholesterol averaged 4.13 mmol l-1 for the boys and 4.53 mmol l-1 for the girls, which is also high compared with adolescents from other countries. The ratios for high density lipoprotein cholesterol to total serum cholesterol were normal and in the range of 0.25-0.28 for both sexes. Other factors associated with coronary heart disease in adults, such as body fat content, serum triglycerides, physical activity, as well as smoking and alcohol habits were similar to that reported for teenagers in other countries. No correlation was found between aerobic power (ml min-1.kg-1) and the risk factors measured.