title: Identification of cardiovascular risk factors in parents/caregivers of children with heart diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular diseases are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Brazil, they are the major cause of death.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify cardiovascular risk factors in parents/caregivers of children with heart diseases by assessing their nutritional status, health conditions, and life style.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study of 150 parents or caregivers of children with heart diseases who attended a cardiology outpatient clinic. Data on identification, lifestyle and health conditions were collected by means of a structured questionnaire. For the assessment of the eating habits, a questionnaire on eating frequency was used; for the assessment of the nutritional status, weight, height, and waist circumference were measured, and the body mass index (BMI) was calculated and classified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 155 parents of children with heart diseases, predominantly of the female gender (91.6%), were evaluated; their mean age was 35.0 ± 10.6 years. The most prevalent risk factors were sedentary lifestyle (85.2%), obesity (28%) and hypertension (22.6%). As regards the eating habits, a high frequency of intake of red meat, margarine, vegetable oil, and sugar and low intake of fish were observed. Comparison between genders showed a significant difference in relation to obesity, as detected by BMI, and hypertension, both more frequent among women. Waist circumference measurement also showed a higher cardiovascular risk in women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiovascular risk factors such as excess weight, sedentary lifestyle, and hypertension as well as inadequate eating habits such as a high frequency of intake of saturated fat and cholesterol and low intake of unsaturated fat were identified in the parents/caregivers assessed.
authors.affiliation: Curso de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Camila Feijó
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.forename: Fernanda Michielin
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Busnello
authors.forename: Lucia Campos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Pellanda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D017028:Caregivers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D010290:Parents; D012307:Risk Factors; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000502:physiology