Sports Practices and Cardiovascular Risk in Teenagers

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading global cause of mortality.
• Many CVD events are preventable through healthy lifestyle choices.
• Adolescence is a critical period for establishing lifelong health behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare cardiovascular risk factors among adolescents in public schools in Rio de Janeiro.
• To investigate differences between a specialized sports school and a general public school.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 422 students from two schools: Experimental Olympic Gymnasium (EOG) and Figueiredo Pimentel School (FP).
• Convenience sampling was employed.
• Descriptive analyses and comparative statistical tests (Student's t-test, chi-square) were used. Sports were categorized by metabolic equivalent of task (MET).

Main Results:

• A total of 422 students were included (274 from EOG, 148 from FP).
• Significant differences in hypertension prevalence (20% in FP vs. 6.3% in EOG, p < 0.01) and borderline cholesterol levels (27.7% in FP vs. 17.3% in EOG, p = 0.01) were observed.
• Female students were more prevalent in FP (65.5%) compared to EOG (43.8%).

Conclusions:

• High prevalence of hypertension, overweight/obesity, and dyslipidemia was identified in the studied adolescents.
• Regular sports training may improve metabolic profiles and reduce cardiovascular risk factors.
• Public health interventions are necessary to address these findings in adolescent populations.