ABC | Volume 112, Nº6, June 2019

Original Article Relationship between Dyslipidemia, Cultural Factors, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Schoolchildren Cézane Priscila Reuter, 1 Caroline Brand, 2 Priscila Tatiana da Silva, 1 Éboni Marília Reuter, 1 Jane Dagmar Pollo Renner, 1 S ilvia Isabel Rech Franke, 1 E lza Daniel de Mello, 3 Leandro Tibiriçá Burgos, 1 Letícia de Borba Schneiders, 1 M iria Suzana Burgos 1 Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC), 1 Santa Cruz do Sul, RS – Brazil Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 2 Porto Alegre, RS – Brazil Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, 3 Porto Alegre, RS – Brazil Mailing Address: Cézane Priscila Reuter • Avenida Independência, 2293 - Bloco 42, sala 4206. Postal Code 96815-900, Universitário, Santa Cruz do Sul, RS – Brazil E-mail: cpreuter@hotmail.com , cezanereuter@unisc.br Manuscript received May 20, 2018, revised manuscript October 17, 2018, accepted November 01, 2018 DOI: 10.5935/abc.20190068 Abstract Background: The presence of dyslipidemia and behavioral aspects are determinants of cardiovascular risk, especially in childhood and adolescence. Objective: To verify possible relationships between dyslipidemia, cultural factors, and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in schoolchildren. Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated a sample of 1,254 children and adolescents between the ages of 7 and 17 from the South of Brazil, 686 of whom were female. Dyslipidemia was defined as increased levels of at least one of the following lipid profile parameters: triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and fractions of high (HDL-c) and low‑density lipoprotein (LDL-c). Cultural aspects were evaluated by a self-reported questionnaire. Data were analyzed by logistic regression, considering the odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI) at 95%. Results: The results revealed a high prevalence of dyslipidemia (41.9%), which was associated with female sex (OR: 1.56; IC: 1.24–1.96) and overweight/obese status (OR: 1.55; IC: 1.20–2.00). When lipid profile parameters were evaluated separately, high levels of LDL-c were observed to be associated with sedentary school transport (OR: 1.59; IC: 1.20–2.09). Schoolchildren who were overweight/obese had higher chances of elevated levels of TC (OR: 1.40; IC: 1.07–1.84) and TG (OR: 3.21; IC: 1.96–5.26). HDL-c was shown to be related to high television time (OR: 1.59; IC: 1.00–2.54). Conclusion: Alterations in lipid parameters are associated with cultural factors, especially those related to sedentary lifestyle and low levels of CRF. (Arq Bras Cardiol. 2019; 112(6):729-736) Keywords: Dyslipidemias/physiopathology; Child; Adolescent; Life Style; Risk Factors; Atherosclerosis. Introduction Dyslipidemia in childhood and adolescence has been the object of diverse studies, owing to its high prevalence in these age groups and to the fact that it is a predictor of atherosclerosis in adulthood. 1-3 Data from a study conducted in the United States during the period 2011–2012 indicate that approximately 1 in every 5 children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 7 had adverse blood lipid concentrations. 4 Subsequent studies have indicated that the occurrence of dyslipidemia during childhood and adolescence is associated with cardiovascular events 5 and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). 6 Similarly, behavioral aspects involving eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle, with reduced caloric expenditure and physical activity, as well as more time spent using television (TV), computers, and cellular phones, have been introduced as important determining factors for cardiovascular risk in children and adolescents. 7 From this point of view, analyzing changes related to these conditions during childhood and adolescence is a strategy capable of reducing the incidence of injuries and preventing the occurrence of chronic diseases in subsequent years of life, 8,9 thus proposing subsidies for the development of programs that aim to maintain and promote health. With the aim of contributing to efforts to overcome these deficiencies, the objective of this study was to verify possible relations between dyslipidemia, cultural factors (eating habits, TV, school transport) and CRF in schoolchildren. Methods This cross-sectional study involved the participation of 1,254 children and adolescents (ages 7 to 17), 686 of whom were female, from 19 public and private school in the municipality of Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, selected by conglomerate sampling from a population of 20,540 schoolchildren from rural and urban areas. 729