The prevention education program (PEP). A prospective study of the efficacy of family-oriented life style modification in the reduction of cardiovascular risk and disease: design and baseline data

The interaction between geriatric and neighborhood vulnerability: Delineating prehospital risk among older adult emergency general surgery patients

BACKGROUND

When presenting for emergency general surgery (EGS) care, older adults frequently experience increased risk of adverse outcomes owing to factors related to age ("geriatric vulnerability") and the social determinants of health unique to the places in which they live ("neighborhood vulnerability"). Little is known about how such factors collectively influence adverse outcomes. We sought to explore how the interaction between geriatric and neighborhood vulnerability influences EGS outcomes among older adults.

METHODS

Older adults, 65 years or older, hospitalized with an AAST-defined EGS condition were identified in the 2016 to 2019, 2021 Florida State Inpatient Database. Latent variable models combined the influence of patient age, multimorbidity, and Hospital Frailty Risk Score into a single metric of "geriatric vulnerability." Variations in geriatric vulnerability were then compared across differences in "neighborhood vulnerability" as measured by variations in Area Deprivation Index, Social Vulnerability Index, and their corresponding subthemes (e.g., access to transportation).

RESULTS

A total of 448,968 older adults were included. For patients living in the least vulnerable neighborhoods, increasing geriatric vulnerability resulted in up to six times greater risk of death (30-day risk-adjusted hazards ratio [HR], 6.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.49-8.89). The effect was more than doubled among patients living in the most vulnerable neighborhoods, where increasing geriatric vulnerability resulted in up to 15 times greater risk of death (30-day risk-adjusted HR, 15.12; 95% CI, 12.57-18.19). When restricted to racial/ethnic minority patients, the multiplicative effect was four-times as high, resulting in corresponding 30-day HRs for mortality of 11.53 (95% CI, 4.51-29.44) versus 40.67 (95% CI, 22.73-72.78). Similar patterns were seen for death within 365 days.

CONCLUSION

Both geriatric and neighborhood vulnerability have been shown to affect prehospital risk among older patients. The results of this study build on that work, presenting the first in-depth look at the powerful multiplicative interaction between these two factors. The results show that where a patient resides can fundamentally alter expected outcomes for EGS care such that otherwise less vulnerable patients become functionally equivalent to those who are, at baseline, more aged, more frail, and more sick.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Prognostic and Epidemiological; Level III.

Reducing cardiovascular disease risk among families with familial hypercholesterolaemia by improving diet and physical activity: a randomised controlled feasibility trial

OBJECTIVE

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) elevates low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and increases cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. This study aimed to provide evidence for the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention designed to improve diet and physical activity in families with FH.

DESIGN

A parallel, randomised, waitlist-controlled, feasibility pilot trial.

SETTING

Three outpatient lipid clinics in the UK.

PARTICIPANTS

Families that comprised children (aged 10-18 years) and their parent with genetically diagnosed FH.

INTERVENTION

Families were randomised to either 12-week usual care or intervention. The behavioural change intervention aimed to improve dietary, physical activity and sedentary behaviours. It was delivered to families by dietitians initially via a single face-to-face session and then by four telephone or email follow-up sessions.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Feasibility was assessed via measures related to recruitment, retention and intervention fidelity. Postintervention qualitative interviews were conducted to explore intervention acceptability. Behavioural (dietary intake, physical activity and sedentary time) and clinical (blood pressure, body composition and blood lipids) outcomes were collected at baseline and endpoint assessments to evaluate the intervention's potential benefit.

RESULTS

Twenty-one families (38% of those approached) were recruited which comprised 22 children and 17 adults with FH, and 97% of families completed the study. The intervention was implemented with high fidelity and the qualitative data revealed it was well accepted. Between-group differences at the endpoint assessment were indicative of the intervention's potential for improving diet in children and adults. Evidence for potential benefits on physical activity and sedentary behaviours was less apparent. However, the intervention was associated with improvements in several CVD risk factors including LDL-C, with a within-group mean decrease of 8% (children) and 10% (adults).

CONCLUSIONS

The study's recruitment, retention, acceptability and potential efficacy support the development of a definitive trial, subject to identified refinements.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ISRCTN24880714.

Family Based Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in Children by Lifestyle Change: The PEP Family Heart Study

AIM

The 14 years' Prevention Education Program PEP was started 1994 among first graders, their siblings and parents living in the half million city Nuremberg (Germany). The aim of prospective family-based observational study was early detection and lifestyle intervention of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Out of 3370 families 24,927 adults and 23,740 children participated in the PEP Family Heart study. Anthropometric parameters including blood pressure and fasting lipids were measured. Because these variables change specifically because of natural growth and development in 3-18 years old children we had to calculate age-and gender-specific growth curves using the LMS method. Non-overweight (normal weight) is defined as BMI < 85th percentile (pctl), overweight as BMI 85th to <95th percentile, obesity as BMI ≥ 95th percentile and severe obesity as ≥ 120% of the 95th pctl. Prehypertension is categorized as the ≥90th to <95th pctl or ≥120/80 mm Hg and hypertension as ≥95th pctl on ≥3 occasions.

MAIN RESULTS

1. Cardiovascular risk (CVD) factor screening in school children predicted CVD risk in parents. 2. The growths curves for auscultatory systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure of non-overweight 8713 boys and 8138 girls nearly identical with the percentile curves of all 11,328 boys and 10,723 girls. 3. The shapes of the 10 lipid percentile curves between the 3rd and 97th pctl differ considerably by age and gender. 4. The wais-to-height ratio (WHtR) percentiles as a measure for abdominal adiposity vary substantially by age and gender 5. Among overweight and obese ≥85th pctl the percentile curves of body fat increase steeply until age 10 years and then decrease slowly in boys whereas the BF% percentile curves in girls increase continuously until age 18 years 6. The prevalence of hypertension increased strongly in severe obesity at the 99th pctl, more steeply beyond 120% of the 95th pctl to 59.1% in boys and 56% in girls. 7. The association between hypertension and normal weight, overweight and obesity increased in boys from 0,5, via 2,7 to 4,3 and in girls from 0,4 via 2,1 to 5,9. 8. Between 2000 and 2007 mean blood pressure decreased from 138.3 ± 18.5 mm Hg to 124.0 ± 13.8 mm Hg in fathers and from 119.1 ± 2.8 mm Hg to 110.4 ± 11.2 mm Hg in mothers. 9. After 1 year weighed dietary protocols demonstrate in 166 fathers a decrease of all six nutrional components like daily energy consumption from 2423 to 2307 Kcal, from 98 g to 91 g fat, from 260 g to 252 g carbohydrates, from 88 g to 84 g protein, cholesterol from 362 mg to 339 mg and alcohol from 19 g to 17 g per day and in 237 mothers from 1915 Kcal to 1830 Kcal, from 79 g to 73 g total fat, from 216 g to 212 g carbohydrates, from 66 g to 64 g protein, from 299 g to 244 mg cholesterol. 10. Sustained intensive individual and family-based lifestyle counseling in daily life in terms of healthy diet, less sedentary behavior and more leisure time physical activity slightly improved the CVD risk factor profiles in parents and their children already after 1 year.

What do we Learn from the Prevention Education Program Family Heart Study about Lifestyle change, Blood Pressure, and Lipids in Children and Parents?

Objectives

The PEP Family Heart Study is a perspective community-based long-term project for the whole family to improve cardiovascular health aiming to assess and to amend risk factors in children and their parents by lifestyle change.

Methods

A total of 48,667 subjects (24,927 adults and 23,740 children) from 3,370 families living in 94% of the elementary school districts of Nuremberg (Germany) participated in this observational study from 1993/1994 -2007/2008. The yearly surveys consisting of personal and family histories, structured interviews on leisure time physical activity and tobacco smoke exposition, physical examinations and nutritional intake as documented by seven days weighed dietary protocols and sustained healthy lifestyle counselling were mainly performed at home. Fasting blood collections for biochemical analyses in the study laboratories, cooking courses and seminars on healthy lifestyle were performed on weekends in central school buildings.

Results

Here we report some of the main results demonstrating e.g., that at least one CVD risk factor in a child conferred a 2-4 fold higher risk among their parents, that obese children and adolescents had a nearly five times higher prevalence of hypertension than non-overweight youths.

Conclusions

Sustained healthy lifestyle behavior can be implemented in daily life of family members which results in amended nutritional intake and improved cardiometabolic risk factors.

Low Birth Weight as a Predictor of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Childhood and Adolescence? The PEP Family Heart Study

BACKGROUND

Low birth weight is considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in later life. Because data in children and adolescents are sparse and controversial, we assessed the association of birth weight with CVD risk factors in German youths.

METHODS

We categorized 843 urban children and adolescents aged 3-18 years by quintiles of birth weight and measured nine traditional risk factors in terms of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, HDL-C, Non HDL-C and triglycerides (TG). SPSS 21 was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Mean values and prevalence of nine anthropometric and lipid risk variables were equally distributed over the five birth weight groups. Though risk factors clustered between 3.0 kg and 4.0 kg of birth weight in both genders we found only one significant correlation of birth weight with TG for males and females and another one for HDL-C in males. The strongest clustering of significant regression coefficients occurred in the 2(nd) birth weight quintile for SBP (ß 0.018), TC (ß -0.050), LDL-C (ß -0.039), non LDL-C (ß -0.049) and log TG (ß -0.001) in males and females.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall we did not find significant associations between birth weight and nine traditional cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents. However, the 2(nd) quintile of birth weight might suggest clustering of risk factors.

Blood pressure percentiles in 22,051 German children and adolescents: The PEP Family Heart Study

BACKGROUND

Strong associations between blood pressure (BP) and overweight raise the question whether overweight children (body mass index (BMI) ≥85th percentile) should be included in the normative database.

METHODS

Using the LMS (Lamda-Mu-Sigma) method, we developed age-, gender-, and height-adjusted percentile curves for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at the 50th, 85th, 90th, 95th, and 97th percentiles in 22,051 German youths (18,917 normal-weight, 1,938 overweight, and 1,196 obese) aged 3-18 years from yearly cross-sectional surveys of the PEP Family Heart Study Nuremberg.

RESULTS

Among children, we found no gender differences for BP and BMI. Male adolescents are taller and heavier. The mean prevalence of hypertension and obesity is 7.3% and 5.2% among children and 7.2% and 5.8% among adolescents, respectively. The prevalence of elevated BP increased substantially by weight groups achieving 24.4% in obese females and 21.9% in obese males with odds ratios of 5.9 (95% confidence interval (CI): 5.1-7.5) and 4.3 (95% CI: 3.5-5.2), respectively. The shapes of the 10 LMS-smoothed SBP and DBP percentile curves differ substantially between gender and weight group. The normal-weight percentiles are nearly identical with the overall growth charts, but separate percentiles for overweight and obese youths provide considerably higher values, such as 148/91 vs. 136/86 mm Hg for a 17-year-old male and 136/91 vs. 123/81 mm Hg for female, respectively, at the 90th percentile.

CONCLUSIONS

Because of substantially higher BP percentiles, separate databases for overweight and obese children and adolescents are strongly recommended.

Age- and Gender-Specific Components of the Metabolic Syndrome in 2228 First Graders: The PEP Family Heart Study

Because first graders are critical for excess weight gain, we assessed components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) using the pediatric definition of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). We compared four MetS components as defined by the IDF with age- and gender-specific components in 2228 first graders at the age of 6. The growth curves were derived from 22113 children and adolescents who participated in the PEP Family Heart Study. The aim was to determine in first graders precise values of waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP), triglycerides (TG), and HDL-Cholesterol (HDL-C) based on growth curves that were developed for a large German population of youths and to assess the prevalence in terms of both definitions at this critical age. The prevalence of high blood pressure for age was 13% compared with only 2% according to IDF. Because of this considerable divergence, we propose to define MetS components based on national growth curves.

Percentiles of percentage body fat in german children and adolescents: an international comparison

Background:

Age- and gender-specific percentiles of body mass index in children and adolescents are a cornerstone categorizing overweight and obesity in youths worldwide. Since corresponding worldwide growth curves of percent body fat (% BF) are missing, the purpose was to contribute smoothed percentiles of percentage body fat from a large urban sample of German youths and to include them in actual national and international percentile curves.

Methods:

We estimated % BF in 22 113 German youths aged 3 to 18 years participating in yearly cross-sectional surveys of the PEP Family Heart Study Nuremberg between 1993 and 2007. Percentage body fat was calculated from skinfold thickness using Slaughter equations. Ten smoothed percentile curves were constructed for % BF using the LMS method significant.

Results:

The age- and gender-specific reference curves demonstrate a continuous age-dependent increase of percentage body fat from age 3 to 18 years in girls; whereas in boys, the percentile curves steeply increase from 5 to 11 years and thereafter slightly decrease. The shape of the percentile curves, the maxima among boys at puberty and the median % BF at age 18 years are consistent with most of the current growth curves. % BF in urban studies seems to be lower than in national surveys .

Conclusions:

More than these nine studies should contribute to worldwide-standardized growth charts for % BF to better define overweight and obesity in youth.

Reference Ranges for Serum Total Cholesterol, HDL-Cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol, and VLDL-Cholesterol and Triglycerides in Healthy Iranian Ahvaz Population

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are recognized as major mortality causes and imposes tremendously heavy socio-economic burden worldwide. A vast variety of risk factors have been introduced in the literature known to enhance the incidence of CVD, such as hyperlipidemia. Therefore in order to make an accurate clinical decision it is essential to have appropriate reference ranges for lipids and lipoprotein particles in a particular population. Healthy female (n = 601) and male (n = 617) cases were randomly selected according to certain exclusion criteria from individuals visiting the major University hospital clinics situated in different part of Ahvaz city, Iran, from June 2010 to December 2010. Fasting blood samples (10 ml) were collected and analyzed for total cholesterol, total triglyceride and HDL-C employing enzymatic assays of CHOD-PAP, GPO-PAP and homogenous methods respectively. The samples were obtained such to include the ethnic populations of Persian, Arab. Lore leaving in this city. The data were analyzed statistically by SPSS-18 software. The obtained results were analyzed then age ethnic-wise and reference ranges (mean ± 1SD) were calculated. Remarkable differences between the obtained results for our population with other nations were seen. Also ethnic difference for HDL-C among our cases was noted. The observed significant differences among different nations and ethnicities emphasizes the need for nation-specific, local reference ranges for lipids and lipoproteins particles, to be established.

Metabolic risk factors, leisure time physical activity, and nutrition in german children and adolescents

Purpose. We assessed the five components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) as defined by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in 6040 (3158 males) youths aged 6–16 years who participated in the Präventions-Erziehungs-Programm (PEP Family Heart Study) in Nuernberg between 2000 and 2007. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine associations with lifestyle habits. Results and Discussion. The prevalence of MetS was low in children (1.6%) and adolescents (2.3%). High waist circumference (WC) and low HDL-C were slightly higher in females (9.5% and 7.5%, resp.) than in males (8.8% and 5.7%, resp.). Low leisure time physical activity (LTPA) was significantly associated with low HDL-C (odds ratio [OR] 2.4; 95% CI 1.2–5.0) and inversely associated with hypertension (r = −0.146), hypertriglyceridemia (r = −0.141), and central adiposity (r = −0.258). The risk for low HDL-C (≤1.3 mmol/L) was 1.7-fold (CI 1.0–2.6) higher in youth with high (≥33%) saturated fat consumption. A low polyunsaturated/saturated fat ratio (P/S ratio) was significantly associated with fasting hyperglycemia (OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.0–1.2).

Trends of Components of the Metabolic Syndrome in German First Graders Throughout 10 Years: The PEP Family Heart Study

Although childhood overweight and obesity are increasing worldwide, some countries report trends for stabilization. However, the trend for the potentially atherogenic components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children and adolescents is not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the trend of the five components of over 10 years in 2228 first graders aged 6 years. Waist circumference (WC) remained mainly unchanged between 1994 and 2003 whereas the other four components continuously decreased. In boys and girls mean values of triglycerides (-25.9% and -28.6%, resp.), HDL cholesterol (-19.8% and -23.4%, resp.), fasting glucose (-7.3% and -9%, resp.), systolic (-3.8% and -4.1%, resp.), and diastolic (-10.2% and -9.7%, resp.) blood pressure significantly decreased. Whereas the prevalence of abdominal adiposity was stable at baseline and after 10 years (-1% in boys and +2% in girls), the prevalence of hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL-C, and glucose was very low without any trend.

Assessment tools of energy balance-related behaviours used in European obesity prevention strategies: review of studies during preschool

Valid and reliable measures of energy balance-related behaviours are required when evaluating the effectiveness of public health interventions aiming at prevention of childhood obesity. A structured descriptive review was performed to appraise food intake, physical activity and sedentary behaviour assessment tools used in obesity intervention strategies targeting mainly preschool children across Europe. In total, 25 papers are described, addressing energy balance-related behaviours as study outcomes and targeting individuals or clusters of individuals at school- or home-based environment. Parentally reported food records and 24-h recalls were commonly used to assess food intake. Subjective levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour were commonly accessed via parentally reported questionnaires. Accelerometry was used to obtain objective measures of physical activity. Insufficient evidence of tool evaluation was provided. When feasible, food records and accelerometry are recommended as the most appropriate methods to assess food intake in young children. Sedentary behaviour could be assessed via questionnaires that include key indicators of sedentarism and are able to differentiate individual practices. The choice of methodology for the assessment of specific intervention effects should be equally balanced between required accuracy levels and feasibility, and be guided by the intervention targets.

Percentile curves for fat patterning in German adolescents

BACKGROUND

because the body composition of adolescents varies more than that of adults and anthropometric parameters are regularly used for pediatric body fat measurements, we developed age-, gender-, and ethnicity-specific reference values for waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and skinfold thickness (SFT) in German adolescents.

METHODS

a representative sample of 1633 boys and 1391 girls aged 12-18 years participated in this cross-sectional study. Weight, height, body mass index (BMI), WC, HC, WHR, WHtR, and SFT were measured and smoothed; age-, gender-, and ethnicity-specific reference curves were developed using the LMS method.

RESULTS

females were significantly heavier than males at 12 years. Beyond age 14 males were significantly heavier and taller than females. The SFT sum increased continuously (+20%) in females and was significantly higher (7.4 mm) than in males. At the 90th percentile, SFTtriceps decreased (-12%) in males but increased (+11%) in females; SFT(subscapular) increased in both genders. From 12 to 18 years, WHtR and WHR remained constant, whereas WC and HC increased in both genders. WHtR was the best predictor for abdominal obesity in males (area under the curve [AUC] 0.974 ± 0.004) and females (AUC 0.986 ± 0.003), followed by body fat percentage (AUC 0.937 ± 0.008) in males and WHR (AUC 0.935 ± 0.009) in females.

CONCLUSION

these age- and gender-specific percentile curves for SFT, WC, HC, WHR, and WHtR, derived from a large national sample of German adolescents, may be useful for developing international reference values for waist circumference and other predictors of adult obesity.

Multiple risk factor interventions for primary prevention of coronary heart disease

BACKGROUND

Multiple risk factor interventions using counselling and educational methods assumed to be efficacious and cost-effective in reducing coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality and morbidity and that they should be expanded. Trials examining risk factor changes have cast doubt on the effectiveness of these interventions.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of multiple risk factor interventions for reducing total mortality, fatal and non-fatal events from CHD and cardiovascular risk factors among adults assumed to be without prior clinical evidence CHD..

SEARCH STRATEGY

We updated the original search BY SEARCHING CENTRAL (2006, Issue 2), MEDLINE (2000 to June 2006) and EMBASE (1998 to June 2006), and checking bibliographies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials of more than six months duration using counselling or education to modify more than one cardiovascular risk factor in adults from general populations, occupational groups or specific risk factors (i.e. diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, obesity).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two authors extracted data independently. We expressed categorical variables as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Where studies published subsequent follow-up data on mortality and event rates, we updated these data.

MAIN RESULTS

We found 55 trials (163,471 participants) with a median duration of 12 month follow up. Fourteen trials (139,256 participants) with reported clinical event endpoints, the pooled ORs for total and CHD mortality were 1.00 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.05) and 0.99 (95% CI 0.92 to 1.07), respectively. Total mortality and combined fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events showed benefits from intervention when confined to trials involving people with hypertension (16 trials) and diabetes (5 trials): OR 0.78 (95% CI 0.68 to 0.89) and OR 0.71 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.83), respectively. Net changes (weighted mean differences) in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (53 trials) and blood cholesterol (50 trials) were -2.71 mmHg (95% CI -3.49 to -1.93), -2.13 mmHg (95% CI -2.67 to -1.58 ) and -0.24 mmol/l (95% CI -0.32 to -0.16), respectively. The OR for reduction in smoking prevalence (20 trials) was 0.87 (95% CI 0.75 to 1.00). Marked heterogeneity (I(2) > 85%) for all risk factor analyses was not explained by co-morbidities, allocation concealment, use of antihypertensive or cholesterol-lowering drugs, or by age of trial.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Interventions using counselling and education aimed at behaviour change do not reduce total or CHD mortality or clinical events in general populations but may be effective in reducing mortality in high-risk hypertensive and diabetic populations. Risk factor declines were modest but owing to marked unexplained heterogeneity between trials, the pooled estimates are of dubious validity. Evidence suggests that health promotion interventions have limited use in general populations.

Lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors in 2001 child-parent pairs: the PEP Family Heart Study

OBJECTIVE

Genes and environment are the main determinants of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor clustering in families. Since individual risk factor profiles are easily predicted within families, we examined whether CVD risk factors are affected by lifestyle factors in these families.

METHODS

Nutrition, physical activity, and smoking habits were assessed in 2001 biological child-parent pairs from 852 families participating in the Prevention Education Program (PEP). Height, weight, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, and fasting lipid levels were measured. Within-family associations were calculated using generalized estimating equations (GEE).

RESULTS

Fathers possessed the most adverse risk profile. Daily energy consumption above the recommended levels was higher in children (daughters +35.4%, sons +26.7%) than in parents (fathers +15.7%, mothers +10.6%). Higher energy consumption was significantly associated with hypertension in mothers (OR 2.5) and in fathers (OR 1.7). Hyper-caloric nutrition of the parents predicted the energy intake of the children in: mother-daughter (OR 7.5), mother-son (OR 3.0), and father-son (OR 2.8) pairs. Low mono-unsaturated fatty acid intake was significantly associated with a high LDL/HDL-C ratio (OR 3.4) and hypertriglyceridemia (OR 2.2) in fathers. Approximately 25% of parents and children reported at least two physical activities twice a week. The 23% of children who were passive smokers presented a far more adverse risk profile than children without exposure to second-hand smoke.

CONCLUSION

Intergenerational lifestyle habits affect cardiovascular risk factors within biological families. As lifestyle habits are predictable, they may be used for implementation of family-based CVD prevention strategies.

Anthropometric screening for silent cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents: The PEP Family Heart Study

BACKGROUND

Central obesity is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but community-wide screening in adolescents is inadequate. Therefore, we examined six simple anthropometric measures for their utility in screening adolescents for seven silent CVD risk factors.

METHODS

A representative community-based sample of 3038 German adolescents (1639 males) aged 12-18 years participated in the study. The association between hypertension, dyslipoproteinemia, fasting hyperglycemia, body mass index, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and skinfold thickness was assessed.

RESULTS

The prevalence of central obesity, defined as elevated WC and/or elevated WHtR, was 13.7% and 13.4% in male and female adolescents, respectively. Among these 412 adolescents, risk factor clustering was 3-4 times more frequent than in the 2626 adolescents without central obesity. Central obesity was the only anthropometric variable that significantly predicted increased risk for all seven non-anthropometric CVD risk factors: hypertension (OR 2.5), elevated triglycerides (OR 4.9), LDL-C (OR 2.0), non-HDL-C (OR 2.1), triglyceride/HDL-C ratio > or = 3.5 (OR 7.2), low HDL-C (OR 1.6), fasting glucose (OR 1.3), and risk factor clustering (OR 3.8). General adiposity only detected hyperglycemia (OR 1.8) and hypertension (OR 4.9), whereas skinfold thickness in or above the 90th percentile predicted risk factor clustering (OR 1.9), elevated triglycerides (OR 2.3), and triglyceride/HDL-C (OR 3.9). WHR indicated hypertriglycridemia (OR 2.3).

CONCLUSIONS

Cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents are easily identified by central adiposity.

First reference curves of waist circumference for German children in comparison to international values: the PEP Family Heart Study

BACKGROUND

Waist circumference (WC) is a sensitive marker for abdominal obesity in the pediatric age group. However, WC is influenced by age, sex, ethnicity and body mass index (BMI), causing difficulties in the selection of the most appropriate cut-off value. Considering the lack of reference values in Germany, we developed age- and gender-specific WC smoothed reference curves in German children, and compared them with reference curves obtained from different countries.

METHODS

A representative sample of 3531 German children (1788 boys, 1743 girls) aged 3-11 years participating in the Prevention Education Program (PEP) Family Heart Study was studied. WC was measured according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, then age- and sex-specific WC reference curves were constructed and smoothed using the LMS method and SPSS 14.0 for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

WC increased with age in both boys and girls. Boys had higher values of WC than girls at every age and percentile level. 4.1% of the boys and 2.8% of the girls had WC values >97th percentile as compared to 6.3% of the boys and 4.9% of the girls with >97th percentile of BMI (severe obesity). 3.1% of the boys and 2% of the girls had both risk factors. Because 85.3% of the boys and 87.3% of the girls with WC<90th percentile had normal weight, this cut-off point might be appropriate for defining high WC.

CONCLUSIONS

These first WC reference curves of German children can be added to the existing international curves for children; comparison of different populations demonstrated that the German values are in the middle range of the curves obtained in different countries. Our findings about significant differences between the reference curves obtained in various regions emphasize the necessity of developing population-specific percentiles, and to use them in clinical and epidemiological studies among children.

Lifestyle of Hungarian adolescents--observations among metropolitan secondary school students

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Obesity among adolescents is a significant and global disease which requires early prevention. The development of overweight and obesity depends not only on genetic components but also on lifestyle. The objective of the survey was to study the lifestyle of 15- to 19-year-old secondary school students in Budapest.

METHODS

Students (n = 1,273, 670 boys, 603 girls) were asked to complete questionnaires about their leisure activities, physical exercise, eating habits and knowledge of nutrition. The response rate was 45.2%.

RESULTS

Three-quarters of the secondary school students lived a sedentary life and more than half were dissatisfied with their body weight. More than 40% of the girls had been on a slimming diet at least once. Half of the students regularly consumed vitamin and/or mineral supplements. Nearly 25% of the adolescents did not have breakfast and nearly 60% of the school-leavers smoked regularly.

CONCLUSIONS

Coordinated cooperation is necessary among stakeholders to support the aim of changing nutritional and exercise behavior of adolescents.

International school-based interventions for preventing obesity in children

The purpose of this article was to review international (excluding the United States) school-based interventions for preventing obesity in children published between 1999 and 2005. A total of 21 such interventions were found from Australia (1), Austria (1), Canada (1), Chile (1), France (1), Germany (3), Greece (1), New Zealand (1), Norway (1), Singapore (1) and the United Kingdom (9). The grade range of these interventions was from pre-school to high school with the majority (17) from elementary schools. Nine of these interventions targeted nutrition behaviours followed by seven aiming to modify both physical activity and nutrition behaviours. Only five interventions in international settings were based on any explicit behavioural theory which is different than the interventions developed in the United States. Majority of the interventions (9) were one academic year long. It can be speculated that if the interventions are behavioural theory-based, then the intervention length can be shortened. All interventions that documented parental involvement successfully influenced obesity indices. Most interventions (16) focused on individual-level behaviour change approaches. Most published interventions (16) used experimental designs with at least 1-year follow-up. Recommendations from international settings for enhancing the effectiveness of school-based childhood obesity interventions are presented.

Multiple risk factor interventions for primary prevention of coronary heart disease

BACKGROUND

Primary prevention programmes in many countries attempt to reduce mortality and morbidity due to coronary heart disease (CHD) through risk factor modification. It is widely believed that multiple risk factor intervention using counselling and educational methods is efficacious and cost-effective and should be expanded. Recent trials examining risk factor changes have cast considerable doubt on the effectiveness of these multiple risk factor interventions.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effects of multiple risk factor intervention for reducing cardiovascular risk factors, total mortality, and mortality from CHD among adults without clinical evidence of established cardiovascular disease.

SEARCH STRATEGY

MEDLINE was searched for the original review to 1995. This was updated by searching the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials on The Cochrane Library Issue 3 2001, MEDLINE (2000 to September 2001) and EMBASE (1998 to September 2001).

SELECTION CRITERIA

Intervention studies using counselling or education to modify more than one cardiovascular risk factor in adults from general populations, occupational groups, or high risk groups. Trials of less than 6 months duration were excluded.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Data were extracted by two reviewers independently. Investigators were contacted to obtain missing information.

MAIN RESULTS

A total of 39 trials were found of which ten reported clinical event data. In the ten trials with clinical event end-points, the pooled odds ratios for total and CHD mortality were 0.96 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.92 to 1.01) and 0.96 (95% CI 0.89 to 1.04) respectively. Net changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and blood cholesterol were (weighted mean differences) -3.6 mmHg (95% CI -3.9 to -3.3 mmHg), -2.8 mmHg (95% CI -2.9 to -2.6 mmHg) and -0.07 mMol/l (95% CI -0.8 to -0.06 mMol/l) respectively. Odds of reduction in smoking prevalence was 20% (95% CI 8% to 31%). Statistical heterogeneity between the studies with respect to mortality and risk factor changes was due to trials focusing on hypertensive participants and those using considerable amounts of drug treatment.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The pooled effects suggest multiple risk factor intervention has no effect on mortality. However, a small, but potentially important, benefit of treatment (about a 10% reduction in CHD mortality) may have been missed. Risk factor changes were relatively modest, were related to the amount of pharmacological treatment used, and in some cases may have been over-estimated because of regression to the mean effects, lack of intention to treat analyses, habituation to blood pressure measurement, and use of self-reports of smoking. Interventions using personal or family counselling and education with or without pharmacological treatments appear to be more effective at achieving risk factor reduction and consequent reductions in mortality in high risk hypertensive populations. The evidence suggests that such interventions have limited utility in the general population.

Achieving lipid goals in Europe: how large is the treatment gap?

Despite the established benefits of decreasing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in reducing morbidity and mortality from coronary heart disease, not all patients who would benefit from lipid-lowering therapy are being managed appropriately. An in-depth review of the literature (2000-2003) demonstrates that the 'treatment gap' varies across different clinical settings. Although the use of lipid-lowering agents has increased in recent years, there continues to be a widespread failure in the achievement of recommended lipid levels. A combination of the use of the most efficacious statins, together with intervention strategies to ensure that all eligible individuals receive appropriate treatment to achieve lipid goals, are important considerations in minimizing the burden of dyslipidemia in Europe.

[Impact of participatory education on body mass index and blood glucose in obese type-2 diabetics]

Exogenous obesity increases morbidity and mortality risk and has been associated with nutritional habits, which in turn can be affected by health education. Health education aims to promote patient participation in achieving behavior change and healthy lifestyles. The objective of this study is to show the advantages of participatory education in the modification of body mass index (BMI) in obese type-2 diabetics. A quasi-experimental study was performed with random allocation of two patient groups. The educational intervention was organized through a reflection-action process. BMI was measured at baseline and then monthly for 9 months during the intervention. The groups were analyzed by age and sex. Statistical analysis used the Student t test, with the mean difference for related groups. The control group showed a mean BMI of 33.89 + 1.96 and a final BMI of 33.2 +/- 2.15 (t:22.4; p:0.16). The experimental group had an initial value of 33.63 +/- 2.12 and a final BMI of 31.54 +/- 1.71; statistical difference: (t:11.55; p:0.003). The participatory educational intervention thus helped improve the BMI in obese type-2 diabetics.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity and trends in body mass index in German pre-school children, 1982-1997

OBJECTIVE

To examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the entire population of 5- and 6-y-old children entering school in Germany, Bavaria, and to assess time trends over the last 15 y and the impact of ethnicity.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional studies were based on the obligatory school entry health examinations: all health districts of Bavaria in 1997 (n=127 735); three health districts every 5 y from 1982 to 1997 (n=16 281).

MEASUREMENTS

Body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) was calculated and the prevalence of overweight and obesity was defined based on national and international agreed cut-off points. Ethnicity was measured as German and non-German nationality.

RESULTS

The prevalence of overweight and obese children as defined by international reference values was 9.4 and 3.1% for 5-y-old boys, 10.0 and 2.9% for 6-y-old boys, 12.2 and 3.3% for 5-y-old girls and 12.4 and 3.3% for 6-y-old girls. The whole BMI distribution in non-German children compared to German children was shifted to the right with median values in non-German children 0.3-0.5 kg/m(2) higher. In these the prevalence of overweight/obesity was 1.9/2.4 times higher for boys and 1.5/1.9 times higher for girls. The time trend between 1982 and 1997 shows an increase of the BMI distribution in the upper percentiles, whereas the lower percentiles did not change substantially. The increased prevalences of overweight/obesity for both sexes as defined by international references increased from 8.5/1.8% in 1982 to 12.3/2.8% in 1997.

CONCLUSION

This large study on all children entering school in Bavaria in 1997 shows patterns of overweight and obesity which are comparable with other European data but are lower than US and Australian data. Increasing prevalences since 1982 indicate that overweight and obesity in children are of increasing public health importance in Bavaria. The upwards shift of the BMI distribution in non-German children needs further investigation.

Nutrition, antioxidants, and risk factor profile of nonsmokers, passive smokers and smokers of the Prevention Education Program (PEP) in Nuremberg, Germany

BACKGROUND

An elevated risk for coronary artery disease and lung cancer was reported for smokers and nonsmokers exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. Particularly in nonsmokers, in addition to the adverse effects of tobacco smoke, other factors which are associated with the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke may contribute to the health risks. We investigated both by questionnaires and biochemical analyses whether smokers influence the dietary habits of nonsmokers living in the same household.

METHODS

The study population was a subgroup of the Prevention Education Program in Nuremberg: 817 adults aged 27-66 years were allocated to one of the four groups: Nonsmokers living with a nonsmoker (Group 1), nonsmokers living with a smoker (Group 2), smokers living with a nonsmoker (Group 3), and smokers living with a smoker (Group 4).

RESULTS

The four groups did not differ in the body mass index, the concentration of lycopene, all-trans-retinol, and selenium in plasma. Plasma concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, homocysteine, cobalamin, folate, beta-carotene, and alpha-tocopherol showed a gradient to unfavorable levels from Group 1 to Group 4. This trend was also reflected in the reported dietary intake of beta-carotene, alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, fiber, and linoleic acid.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data show that nonsmokers living with smokers indulge in less healthy dietary habits than nonsmokers living with nonsmokers. This has to be considered when evaluating the health risks of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

Parameters of childhood obesity and their relationship to cardiovascular risk factors in healthy prepubescent children

OBJECTIVE

To investigate which of the currently applied parameters to assess childhood overweight best predict cardiovascular risk factors.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study comparing five different methods to define overweight with respect to their power to predict cardiovascular risk factors.

SUBJECTS

A total of 838 healthy children from the Prevention-Education-Program (Nuremberg, Germany; age 4-9 y, 405 boys, 433 girls).

MEASUREMENTS

Obesity parameters-body mass index (BMI), ponderal index (PI), the sum of triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness (SFT), percentage body fat (%BF) using SFT and two different regression formulas (Slaughter, %BF-SL; Dezenberg, %BF-DZ). Overweight defined by the 90th age- and sex-specific percentile of each obesity parameter. Comparison of LDL- and HDL-cholesterol, apolipoprotein-B (apo-B), triglycerides (TG), fibrinogen and blood pressure values (SBP/DBP) between normal-weight and overweight children.

RESULTS

When overweight is defined by BMI or PI, all cardiovascular risk factors are significantly (P<0.01) different between overweight and normal-weight children (BMI: TG+20.5%, HDL-chol.-8.6%, LDL-chol.+9.6%, apo-B+6.8%, SBP+7.4%, DBP+8.6%, fibrinogen+13.2%; PI: TG+24.3%, HDL-chol.-6.1%, LDL-chol.+9.0%, apo-B+7.4%, SBP+5.9%, DBP+6.7%, fibrinogen+13.9%), while SFT, %BF-SL and %BF-DZ did not predict all cardiovascular risk factors. A sex-specific analysis showed that in girls BMI and PI both predict cardiovascular risk factors, while in boys this is only valid for BMI.

CONCLUSION

In prepubescent children, height-to-weight indices such as BMI or PI better predict cardiovascular risk factors than obesity parameters using skinfold measurement. The BMI may be superior to the PI as the association between BMI and cardiovascular risk factors is less affected by gender.