title: Family history of cardiovascular diseases and risk factors in children.
abstract: A sample of 861 Roman children, aged 7 to 14 years, was investigated in order to evaluate the association between some cardiovascular risk factors such as high systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure levels, body mass index (BMI), arm fat area (AFA) and a history of diabetes, stroke, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, hypertension and overweight in their parents. The sample investigated was subdivided into three subgroups, based on whether the children had just one parent, both parents or no parent with a positive history. For all the variables considered, the highest values were found in the group of children with a positive history for both parents and the lowest ones in children with a negative history for both parents. The analysis of significance, based on the mean values for the three groups, revealed statistically significant differences for SBP, DBP, BMI and AFA between the group of children with a positive history for both parents and that of children with a negative history for both parents. Significant differences also emerged for DBP, BMI and AFA between the mean values of children positive for one parent and those negative for both parents and for BMI and AFA between the means of children positive for one parent and those positive for both parents. The odds ratio of high systolic and/or diastolic BP, BMI and AFA levels was consistently higher in children with one or two parents with a positive history compared to children with both parents with a negative history, and even higher considering only children with both parents with a positive history vs children with both parents with a negative history.
authors.affiliation: Chair of Hygiene, University for Vergata, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pasquarella
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Buonomo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carbini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Palombi
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000293:Adolescent; D001132:Arm; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D003971:Diastole; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D012307:Risk Factors; D013599:Systole