ABC | Volume 110, Nº3, March 2018

Original Article Scherr et al Cardiovascular risk in teenager athletes Arq Bras Cardiol. 2018; 110(3):248-255 Characteristics of parents/guardians that answered the questionnaire are described in Table 4. Mean age and sex were similar between the two schools – approximately 40 years of age and 85% women. Regular physical activity was more frequently reported by parents/guardians of the students enrolled at the EOG (48% vs . 16.5%; p < 0.01), which may have influenced the teenagers to engage in sports. With respect to comorbidities and cardiovascular risk factors, the number of individuals with SAH was 11.2% higher among parents/guardians of the students enrolled at the FP School than at the EOG (30.6% vs . 19.4%; p = 0.03). Discussion A high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was found in our study group, especially blood lipid levels, overweight / obesity and arterial hypertension. Approximately 50% and 25% of the adolescents had TG and CT concentrations, respectively, above desirable levels (borderline/high); 40% of them were overweight/obese and 17% had prehypertension/hypertension. Table 3 – Characteristics of the students enrolled at the Experimental Olympics Gymnasium (EOG) by type of sport Low MET (N = 56) High MET (N = 217) p value* Mean SD Mean SD Weight (kg)/BMI 48.5 13.0 53.3 13.1 0.02 20.0 4.8 20.9 4.4 0.20 N % N % Nutritional status /BMI Underweight - - 2 0.9 Normal weight 37 68.5 127 60.2 0.44 Overweight 9 16.7 55 26.1 0.15 Obesity 8 14.8 27 12.8 0.72 Unknown 2 3.6 6 2.8 Blood pressure Normal 48 85.7 186 87.3 0.28 Prehypertension 6 10.7 12 5.6 0.22 Hypertension 2 3.6 15 7.0 0.54 Unknown - - 4 1.8 Capillary blood glucose Desirable (< 101 mg/dL) 54 98.2 205 100 0.21 Borderline (101-116 mg/dL) 1 1.2 - - Increased (≥ 117 mg/dL) - - - - Unknown 1 1.8 12 5.5 Total cholesterol Desirable (< 170 mg/dL) 39 69.6 175 81.4 0.11 Borderline (170-199 mg/dL) 15 26.8 32 14.9 0.04 Increased (≥ 200 mg/dL) 2 3.6 8 3.7 Unknown - - 2 0.9 Triglycerides Desirable (< 90 mg/dL) 20 50.0 68 50.0 0.98 Borderline (90-129 mg/dL) 8 20.0 29 21.3 Increased (≥ 130 mg/dL) 12 30.0 39 28.7 Unknown 16 28.6 81 37.3 SD: standard deviation; MET: metabolic equivalent of task; BMI: body mass index. *chi-square test (for categorical variables) or Student’s t-test (for continuous variables) These data corroborate the current evidence that, despite the importance of malnutrition, the rates of obesity and overweight have been significantly increasing. Previous studies have shown that approximately 23%of children aged between 6 and 12 years and 21% between 12 and 17 years are obese. This increase in obesity prevalence has been attributed to environmental and sociocultural factors. 12 In a cross-sectional study conducted at schools in Parana State, 154 students aged from 10 to 17 years were assessed for anthropometry, abdominal circumference and BP measurement. The authors reported an association between abdominal obesity and increased BP. 13 Scherr et al. 14 reported a significant difference in TC levels between children (mean age 9 years) enrolled at public or philanthropic schools and those enrolled at private schools. In this study, 14 23% of boys and girls from private schools and only 4% of boys and girls from public/philanthropic schools had TC levels above 190mg/dL. This may be explained by the intensity of physical exercise and nutritional surveillance in public/philanthropic schools. 14 251