Eating behaviour, body mass index and lipids of children in a free-living rural Sicilian population.
OBJECTIVE
The preliminary findings of an epidemiological study conducted in 1989 in Ventimiglia di Sicilia (a rural village in the hilly hinterland 50 km from Palermo) described a population mainly made up of farmers, which had a very low incidence of early cardiovascular mortality, lower total cholesterol plasma concentration than the Italian average, and nutritional habits following the criteria of the Southern Italian Mediterranean diet. Since a high prevalence of body weight abnormalities was found in this population and an 11-year follow-up revealed that both body weight and fat distribution were significantly associated with total and cardiovascular mortality, we studied the eating behaviour, body weight and lipid levels of 249 school-children living in the village. The aim of the study was to verify whether the children showed similar body weight abnormalities and quantitative dietary excesses as the adults of the same families.


RESULTS
The dietary habits of 97 children (about one third of the study population) had a higher total caloric, monounsaturated fatty acid and fibre intake, and a lower saturated fatty acid and cholesterol intake, than an all-Italy sample of school-children. The lipid profile of this group of very young subjects was fairly good, but 13% had LDL-cholesterol levels of more than 130 mg/dL and 11% had HDL-cholesterol levels of less than 35 mg/dL. About 28% were considered to be above the 95th percentile of body weight and this was associated with a higher daily total caloric intake.


CONCLUSIONS
Because obesity is associated with a high total caloric intake and various other risk factors even in young children, it is possible that a successful prevention campaign including behavioural education in schools could reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease at older ages.
Notarbartolo
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A
Cattedra di Medicína Interna, Istituto di Medicina Interna e Geriatria, University of Palermo, Italy. alberto@unipa.it
Barbagallo
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CM
D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012802:Sicily / Q000453:epidemiology
D008055:Lipids