چاقي و عوامل خطرساز قلبي - عروقي همراه با آن در كودكان ايراني

OBESITY AND ASSOCIATED CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS IN IRANIAN CHILDREN

Background:0besity is a serious public health problem in developing countries due to its association with the cardiovascular risk factors. Childhood obesity is responsible for a number of different complications both during childhood and adulthood. The aim of the present study was to determine the cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese Iranian children. Methods: We screened 13086 children aged 7-12 years by measuring waist circumference. Those with a waist circumference ^61 cm were selected for further evaluation. Anthropometric measurements were done and blood samples were taken from 563 enrolled overweight/obese children (284 boys and 279 girls). We determined cardiovascular risk factors (including fasting total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides, blood pressure). In addition we measured the fasting blood sugar, insulin, apo-A , apo-B and leptin levels. Results: Only 2.7% of overweight or obese children had no risk factors. While, 20.6% had one and 70.85% had two or more risk factors. The prevalence of high total Cholestrol levels was 42.6%. HDL-C showed an acceptable level in 92.4%of children .There were strong correlations between BMI and serum apoB and leptin levels (p<0.005). Conclusion: The high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese Iranian children emphasizes the need for prevention and control of childhood obesity from early childhood in our country.